The Legend Of Zelda: Dark Castle
by Kenzi333
Summary: COMPLETE When Nicole starts playing a new Zelda game, she's transported into the game and must help Link defend Hyrule. The only way to get home is to finish the game. But what if the Hyrule she's in, isn't anything like the game? It's only rated T because I want to be safe with the action. No adult content or language! Nicole&Link -Chapters Under Revision-
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! This is my first fanfic, so please bear with me! There will be no adult content in this story, and the same applies to all other stories that I write. I promise it gets better along the way! Also, I would like to ask that if you review (which it would be awesome and greatly appreciated if you did!) not to use swear words. So thanks, enjoy!**

Chapter One

To start off, my name is Nicole Dallas. I'm 17 years old, with golden hair and light blue eyes. I'm five feet and five inches. Pretty, but not super model gorgeous. Perfectly normal. Nothing exciting here.

I'm a big fan of _The Legend Of Zelda_. I have been ever since I was 10 years old and first got my hands on a Nintendo 64 and _Ocarina Of Time_. I'm kind of obsessed with the series. And I will admit, after all the years of watching Link fearlessly fight off monsters and save Hyrule time and time again, I began to wish he was a real person, and that he would come and save me from my boring, monotonous life. And, being a teenage girl, I do think the adult versions of him are pretty dang cute.

It's a gray, depressing day in December. I've just had the most "wonderful" day at school, with me going to the wrong lunch after a mix up with my class schedule, someone spilling their soup all over me, tripping in front of the boy I like, and to top it all off with a cherry, an F on my Math test. I have _never_ gotten anything less than a B. When I got home my mom had made me my favorite treat, mint brownies, which definitely made my day better. But after my laptop crashed on me, I was absolutely done.

I'm sitting on my bed, reading the new book I got from the library, when I hear a knock on my door.

"Come in." I say loudly.

My mom and dad walk in with sympathetic smiles on their faces.

"Hi sweetie." Mom says softly while sitting down on my bed. "How are you feeling?"

I shrug. "Okay. I'd be better if I could've avoided the soup incident."

Dad sits down too. "Well kiddo, I'm sorry you had such a messed up day. But would a birthday present make it better?"

I look at them both, confused. "But my birthday isn't for another month."

Mom smiles. "I know. But you might as well get a head start on Jason."

Jason is one of my slightly geeky but completely lovable friends at school. We're both equally obsessed with Zelda, which is what sparked our friendship. We have a competition whenever a new Zelda game comes out to see who can finish it the fastest. He beat me on _Wind Waker_ and _Spirit Tracks_, but I creamed him at _Twilight Princess_ and _Skyward Sword._

My eyebrows raise. "Jason? Where did he come into this? Why would I need to get a head..." I trail off. No way. Does that mean what it think it does?

Dad smiles. He gets up and opens my closet door. He then reaches into the pocket of the bright pink bunny sweater Aunt Lucia made me. As much as I love her, I just can't bring myself to wear it publicly. It's kind of hidious. He pulls out a thin rectangular object that is wrapped in a turquoise paper. My favorite color.

I laugh. "You hid it in my closet?"

Mom shrugs "Would you have looked there?"

"Probably not." I laugh again.

Dad hands the gift to me, even though I pretty much know what it is. "Happy birthday kiddo."

I smile and take the package, unwrap it, and there it is: _The Legend Of Zelda: Dark Castle._ I smile. I've been waiting for this game for what feels like forever.

I hug both of my parents tightly. "Thank you both so much! I love you."

Mom smiles. "We love you too. Now aren't you going to go and start playing it?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After having the game for a week I've only been able to create a profile and watch the beginning. My life has been pretty hectic, with studying for tests in three of my classes, helping my mom hand out homemade bread and my volunteering at the library, I haven't been able to get any farther.

It starts off by saying that after years of prosperity and peace in Hyrule, one day an evil warlord named Ganondorf invaded the peaceful land and laid siege to Hyrule Castle. After blocking off the entrance to Castletown, he imprisoned the Royal Family, including the beautiful Princess Zelda. But, though the situation seemed lost, there was still hope. For just outside Castletown, in a small cottage with his uncle, lived a young man named Link. The hero chosen by the gods. In order to protect Hyrule, and fulfill his destiny as a hero, Link must embark on a journey through many areas of Hyrule to find the Master Sword, aided by his newly acquired fairy friend Navi. Once armed with the Master Sword and Sacred Weapons from the Goddesses, Link must storm the Dark Castle and return peace to Hyrule. I can't wait to start playing this game, it sounds like the most epic Zelda yet!

I'm sitting on our couch watching _The_ _Ellen DeGeneres Show_ when my mom walks in, absolutely frantic.

"I can't believe they could even _think _of doing that to me!" She murmurs under her breath. Mom and Dad both work at the hospital, and sometimes they call them in for emergencies, which they both despise. Apparently they've just gotten such a call.

"You need to go in?" I ask disappointed. I hate it when they get called in, especially on our movie nights. I look forward to them every week.

Dad walks in. "I'm sorry kiddo, but a man just came in from a car accident with very serious injuries, they need us."

I understand. Someone needs them, they need to go.

"Okay," I say getting off the couch and hugging them both. "Drive safe, I'll see you both when you get home."

Mom grabs the keys from the counter. "We will. No friends over, okay? You can play Zelda to your heart's content. David called and said that he'd be over for dinner tomorrow, so could you do the dishes?"

David's my older brother, three years older than me and in college. The college is only 15 minutes from our home, so he comes over for dinner and to do laundry all the time. I absolutely love him, and we're extremely close, so it's pretty hard with him away. But I'm adapting.

My heart lifts at this. "Really? Sure, I will."

Dad kisses my forehead. "We'll be home soon."

"Okay," I say. "I love you both."

"Love you too." They yell from the car.

After they've gone, I go over to our game drawer and pull out _Dark Castle_. I smile in excitement. Finally! I can play some of it.

I pop it into the Wii and get the controls. After picking it on the Wii menu and starting the game, I begin to feel a headache coming on and I feel extremely warm. I push it off, thinking that it'll go away, but the longer I play the worse it becomes. When it becomes more than I can bare I get up from the couch and go into the kitchen. I swallow an Aspirin and walk back to the couch to try once again to play. But somehow it gets even worse.

Suddenly, just when I'm about to call my mom and ask her if anything else can help the world becomes tinted with gold. I blink a few times, not sure if the headache is making me delusional or if I'm going crazy. The gold becomes more and more pronounced, until the world around me explodes in a golden flash. The color is too much for me with my headache and I black out.

When I come too slightly, I'm aware that I've fallen off the couch, but it doesn't feel like the carpet. It feels more like grass. How is that possible? I can feel the heat of the sun on my eyelids, but I can't open them. I feel far too week.

After a few seconds that feel like years I'm aware of multiple footfalls. No, not feet, hooves. A horse.

The horse stops close to me and I hear the thud of someone landing on the ground, followed by the sound of quick footsteps approaching me. A shadow blocks the sun.

"Is she alive?" A high melodic voice asks.

"Yes," Another voice answers, this time male. His strong, comforting voice soothes my growing panic. "I'll take her back to the cottage. Alac will know what to do."

Strong arms lift me up off the ground and I feel my conscience fading again.

_Where am I?_ I think groggily before darkness over takes me.


	3. Chapter 3

**So just as a quick little add-on, the _Dark Castle_ game is basically a mix up of _Ocarina Of Time_ and _Twilight Princess_. It will mix up characters and settings from both games, but the overall tone I think will be that of _Twilight Princess_. I don't know. I'll just have to see as I write it. I may add-on more elements from other Zelda games. I also changed it to present tense, I thought it made the story flow better. I changed the first two chapters, so you may want to go back and look at them. Thanks! **

Chapter Three

I'm aware of four things before I open my eyes.

The first thing I'm aware of is music. It sounds as if it's coming from a flute. The notes flow flawlessly from one to the other, soothing my worried mind. It's beautiful.

The second thing I'm aware of is my surroundings. I'm lying on a bed, with the sheets over me. I can hear the crackling of a fire, and I can feel it's warmth as well as see the light on my closed eyes. I can smell something sweet, like Mom's homemade chocolate chip cookies, but not quite the same. The music is coming from my left, but I can't tell what's making the sweet sound.

The third thing is that I'm not alone. The source of the music, I realize, is being played by a person. I can hear the short, nearly silent breaths he takes in between the notes. At least, I think it's a he. It sounds like it. I can feel his comforting presence from across the room. At first I tense, but then I relax at his being in the room. Somehow I know I don't need to be afraid of him.

The final thing is the events prior to my waking up. How I got here. Wherever _here_ is. _Dark Castle_, my throbbing headache, the golden flash, grass underneath me. And the boy and girl...

My eyes fly open and I sit up straight. The music is abruptly silenced.

"I see you're awake." It's the same kind voice from before, somewhat startled by my sudden awakening. "How're you feeling?"

I turn to look at him. He sits on a wooden stool by the fire, a strange instrument in his hands. I guess it's responsible for the music I heard. I feel like I should know what it is... but I just can't place it. My eyes travel up. He has on tan pants and a green tunic, which I think is a bit odd. You don't see many tunics now-a-days. Once again I get the feeling I've seen this before. My eyes settle on his face. He looks about my age, maybe a year older. He has blond hair, and his bangs just miss falling into his eyes. His eyes. As I look at them, every fiber in my being screams that I know those eyes. They're a deep cobalt blue, kind and warm. Concerned also as he looks at me. I suddenly feel safe.

I take my eyes from him for a moment to look around at my surroundings. We're in a warm, cozy little wooden cottage. There's a kitchen and three beds, one in another room. There's also another door that I hope it leads to a bathroom, I really wouldn't want to go to an outhouse. All in all, I feel safe and comfortable here. Funny, considering I'm in here with a complete stranger and I don't even know where I am.

"Hello?" The boy asks in a concerned voice.

I turn and look at him. His eyes are clouded over with worry at my long pause to respond to him.

"Yes." I say quickly, giving him a smile to confirm it. "Thank you." I look around again. "How long have I been out?" I feel a little fuzzy still. I hope it'll go away soon.

"Three days" The boy says, looking down at his flute thingy again. "I found you in the Lost Woods. What were you doing there? It's a dangerous place to be."

"Three days?" I whisper. My parents must be worried sick. They don't even know I'm here. My heart gives a sharp twist when I think of them coming home to an empty house. They'll have called the police. Mom will be crying. Dad will be out looking everywhere. David will have come home to comfort Mom, as well as help Dad look for me...

Suddenly, something else the boy said registers in my mind. "The Lost Woods?" I ask, confused. That's an area in Zelda. Weird.

The boy nods. "I was on my way home from... a little trip... riding my horse through the woods, keeping a sharp eye out for monsters, when I saw you lying in the grass. I assumed a Moblin got to you, or a Bokoblin. So I got of Epona, and went over to you. Then I brought you back here, and Alac and I have been taking turns watching you and making sure you were okay. So, you're welcome." He adds with a small smile as he lifts the thingy to his mouth and begins to play it again, but a different song than before. This one is more upbeat, and faster. I recognize it. It sounds like Saria's Song from _Ocarina of Time._

I shake my head, marveling at his words. Moblins, Bokoblins, and Epona. All from Zelda. What is going on? This must be some kind of joke. In fact, it's kind of ridiculous.

I laugh. "Um, obsessed much?" I ask. He looks at me, confused. "With _The Legend Of Zelda_. I mean, come on? Bokoblins? Epona? You must really like Zelda. It's nice to meet a fellow fan and all, but what really happened? And where are we?"

He looks at me, even more confused than before. "Zelda? As in the princess? Of course not! She's engaged to be married, and I happen to be very good friends with the lucky man. I only see her as a friend. And that _is _what really happened. You can't tell me you don't think Bokoblins and Moblins are real, they're all over Hyrule, especially in the Lost Woods. Considering you were in there, I should think you must've encountered one." He stops for a second. "And what's wrong with my horse's name?" He says defensively.

I stare at him. It's official, he's mental. Absolutely mental. I think he actually believes he's Link. What is wrong with this guy?

I shake my head in disbelief. "Believe me, I mean absolutely no disrespect to you. After all, you did take care of me and everything. But, you're crazy."

It's him now that shakes his head at me. "Personally, I think _you_ are the crazy one. You honestly think I'm lying?"

It's just now that I notice something about him. His ears. Are those his real ears? No, they couldn't be! His ears are like an elf's, pointy at the top. In Zelda, all Hylians have ears exactly like that. Holy cow, he's dedicated.

But the more I look at them, the more life-like they get.

He clears his throat. I realize I must be making him uncomfortable, but I can't help it. "Um, yes?"

"Are those your real ears?" I blurt out before thinking.

His hands go to his ears. "Yes... what? You've never seen ears before? What's so different between yours and mine?" He looks at my ears, exposed because of my hair being in a pony tail, and his face goes into shock. "Are those _your _real ears?"

I get up without thinking and walk over to him.

I pray that those aren't his real ears. I touch his ears.

Not possible. They _are_ real.

"Who are you?" I say, in shock after his ears being genuine.

"Who are _you?_"

"I asked you first"

"Yeah, but you owe me."

"For what?"

"Saving you. In the Lost Woods. You would have died had I not picked you up. No question. And all I ask in return is your name. So, you first."

I hesitate. He seems sane enough. Besides the fact that he thinks he's Link and that he resembles a freakishly large elf from the North Pole. A cute elf.

I mentally slap myself. _Not the time Nicky!_

"Nicole Dallas."

But before he gets the chance to respond with his name, two things happen.

First, I suddenly realize that I know what the instrument is in his hand. An ocarina. How had I not noticed that before?

Second, a sparkling light blue blaze of light flies into the room. It lands on the boy's shoulder.

"Hey! She's awake!" It says in the same melodic voice that I heard in the supposed Lost Woods.

I gape at it. It, is not in fact an it but a she. A tiny blue fairy stares back up at me. She wears a shimmering blue slip and her glossy blue hair is cut in an appropriate pixie cut. Great, now _I'm_ mental.

"You were right, she _is _absolutely gorgeous!" The fairy grins wickedly at the boy. He blushes slightly

"Navi, could we not discuss this now? Please? Or I swear, I _will_ throw you to a Deku Baba."

The fairy holds her hands up in defense. "You said it, I just repeated you. Monkey see, monkey do!"

"This is _not_ happening." I whisper, backing away from them both. "This doesn't happen in real life. This is something that would happen in the _Twilight Zone_, not real life."

"_The Twilight Zone_?" The fairy, or Navi as the boy calls her, asks. "What's that?"

I stumble on the bed.

"Nicole?" The boy asks, the worried look back on his face. "Are you okay?"

"You're turn." I say in a shaky voice. "What's your name?" Although I already know the answer.

"Link," The boy answers. "My name is Link."


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you to Shadow Realm Triforce for being the first person to review my story! Thank you so much! Also, thanks to Shadowmwape and Flyer21 for following _Dark Castle_! Thank you all so much!  
**

Chapter Four

~Links POV~

The girl I saved is strange.

I mean no disrespect to her by saying that, but she is. I mean, how can you live in Hyrule and not believe in Bokoblins and Moblins and the Lost Woods?

And her ears... she looks like a Gerudo, but she doesn't have the right hair or skin color. Who is this girl?

Now she's staring at me with a mixture of disbelief and as if I'm absolutely insane.

"Oh, I'm going crazy. Completely crazy." She whispers to herself. Then she looks at me. "You're not real! You're a video game character! You were created by Nintendo in the 80s! You're not real!"

Nintendo? Video games? The 80s? _What?_

"Um... I'm sorry but I didn't understand a word you just said."

She shakes her head. "Of course you wouldn't."

I look at her for a few more moments. Even though she looks a bit disheveled and terrified, she's still quite beautiful. With her long golden hair, bright blue eyes and that smile she gave me earlier, she's much more beautiful than all the other girls in Castletown.

"What's Nintendo? And the 80's?" Navi asks from my shoulder.

Nicole sighs. "You wouldn't understand. Or believe it."

I smile. "Try us. We've been through quite a bit of unbelievable experiences lately, trust me."

She nods. "I know. You're the Hero chosen by the goddesses to save Hyrule from Ganondorf. Just like all the other Links."

I blink in surprise. How does she know that? The only person I've told is Alac. I just barely met Nicole, there is no way possible that she could know that!

"How did you know that? There's no way you could know that. And what other Links?" I am so confused right now.

"It's a long story..." She says tiredly.

I sit down on the stool. "We have time."

~Normal POV~

Link takes a deep breath. He's been silent for the last few minutes. He's taking this pretty well.

"Well... that was a little overwhelming..." He says in a shaky voice.

I explained to him about _The Legend Of Zelda_, all the games, the official timeline, how he's a reincarnation of the first Link in _Skyward Sword_ (that was the one that he took the most shock from), Nintendo, and the world I came from. And I can tell he believes me.

Although Navi fell asleep when I started explaining the timeline. She doesn't have a very good attention span.

"I know. I'm sorry, I guess it's kind of a shock."

He shakes his head. "No, it's okay. I'm just absorbing this..." He gives me a smile. "But how should I know you're telling the truth?"

I smile to. "Hey, when I saw Navi, the Master Sword, and your hat, I believed you!" I look at him. "...You are Link."

He smiles again. I like his smile.

_Once again, not the time!_

"Good. I'll believe you." He laughs. "This is crazy. I'm a reincarnation of a man who lived thousands of years ago, had my same name and looks exactly like me, and he lived on a floating island. I didn't expect this when I found you in the Lost Woods."

I smile at him. "You are exactly like I thought you would be, you know that?"

Suddenly, the door to the cottage bursts open.

"Link! We're in trouble!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Link shoots up off of his stool.

"Alac? What's wrong? What happened?"

Alac's chest heaves, he's obviously been running.

"They're here. Ganondorf's soldiers. They're coming for you. You need to hide, they'll be here in about 10 minutes." He looks at me as if he's just noticing me. "You're awake. Good, stay with Link, he'll protect you."

"Where do we hide?" Link asks.

"In the cellar. It's dark enough down there that they won't try to look down there, if they can even find it. I don't care if they work for Ganondorf, they're all idiots and cowards."

Link nods. They both walk over to a corner of the cottage and pull up the rug. Underneath is a trap door. They lift it up together with a loud creak. Link motions me over.

I stare down at the black hole before me. A ladder leads down into the pitch black, and a cold wind emanates from the hole. I shiver.

"It's alright Nicole. Just go down the ladder, and I'll follow you." Link says in a comforting voice.

I nod and Link gets on the ladder. After he's a few rungs down he reaches up his hand and helps me down. How high are we? After a few moments I hear Link's feet hit the ground. He helps me off of the ladder too. It seems familiar here.

Link looks up to the square of light above, blocked by Alac's slightly pudgy figure. "Aren't you coming down?"

Alac shakes his head. "They already saw me. I'll make sure they do not find you two." Somehow he sees Link's worried face. "I'll be fine. You just worry about yourselves."

Link nods. "What if they do find us?"

"Fight." And with that the trap door slams shut.

~X~

Link leads me over to a corner and we sit down on the ground. It's pitch black. All I can hear is the sound of our breathing.

"You know, I just realized why I recognized this place." I whisper.

"Why?"

"It's your basement in _Twilight Princess_."

"Is it?"

I nod. "Yeah. And it's just as dark. You can't really do anything down there until you get a lantern. Then you can open a chest and get a purple rupee."

Link laughs softly. "That's funny. Alac stored a purple rupee down here in a huge chest and we just barely found it."

I smile.

Then we here loud shouts from above and footsteps pound on the floor, causing dust to fall. I scoot closer to Link, suddenly very scared at the real threat of danger. Link gives my hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Where is he?" A voice screams from above.

"I already told you, _I have no idea! _He left about a week ago, I don't know where he went!" Alac screams back.

There's a frustrated scream and then the first voice is yelling orders to the other soldiers.

I pray they won't find us.

Then there's a bump on the trap door.

"What's this?" A soldier says.

Link sucks in a breath. I close my eyes. _Please please please._

"Get away from that, it's just a rug." Another one says.

I can breathe again. I feel Link's tense muscles relax.

Then light floods the cellar.

Link pulls me close to him and pulls me into a pool of shadow. I try not to breath. Link closes his eyes.

Footsteps come down the ladder and land on the floor.

I bury my face in Link's tunic. He smells like pinewood. I'm shaking, they can't find us.

Then a hand grabs me and Link. I scream.

"Alac!" Link yells in relief.

Thank heavens. Alac stands before us. I feel like crying with relief.

"They went to search outside the house, but it won't take them long. You need to get out of here Link. Now."

Link looks torn. "But... Alac..."

"I'll be fine Link. I can take care of myself, just as well as you can take care of yourself." His face softens. "Link, you are a strong boy. If anyone can save Hyrule from Ganondorf, I believe you can. The goddesses were wise to call upon you."

Link stands up and hugs him. "Thank you Alac. For everything. For raising me and putting up with me. For being there for me..." His voice trails off.

"Oh Link, I would not have had it be any other way."

Link steps back and helps me up. He stares at me. "I don't know what to do with you. If I leave you here, you'll be in danger of Ganondorf's soldiers finding you, and if you come with me, you'll be in constant danger."

I try to smile. "Well, I've come along with you on all your other quests. Granted I got you killed a few times... but they were on accident. I'd rather come with you than hide in the cellar."

Link nods. "Okay."

Alac looks confuses. "You told me you never met her before."

"We haven't." Link says. "It's a long and confusing story, I'll tell you later."

Navi suddenly lifts the edge of Link's hat. "Could you not be so loud, I'm trying to sleep."

Link laughs. "You slept through all of that?"

"All of what?"

I laugh to. "And my scream didn't wake you up?"

She shakes her head. "No, that's what woke me up. I've been trying to go back to sleep."

She flies out and lands on my shoulder. "But apparently I missed out on all the fun. What happened?"

"Soldiers." Link says. "We need to leave. Now."

Navi's eyes go wide. "Then let's go!" She flies upstairs.

Alac ascends the ladder first, then me and Link. When we reach the top Alac hands Link a knapsack.

"It holds enough food to keep both of you well fed for at least two weeks. It's the least I can do to help you."

"It's more than enough. Thank you." He says gratefully.

"Thank you Alac." I repeat.

He smiles at both of us. "Good luck to you both. Be careful."

Navi flies in the doorway. "Um, hello? Does anyone besides me remember the soldiers that want to kill us? Let's go!"

Link nods and gives one last look to Alac. "Be safe."

"You too, Link. You too."

Link grabs my hand and we run out the doorway.

We make it to the stable where Epona waits for us without being spotted. Link saddles up Epona and gets on. I've never been on a horse before.

He reaches for my hand and pulls me up.

"Hold on okay? She can go pretty fast, I don't want you to fall off."

I nod and wrap my arms around him. I pray that I won't fall of.

"Link and Nicole sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g." Navi sings as she flutters near Link's hat. I feel my face go red.

"Navi, you think I won't make do on that promise to throw you to the Deku Baba, but I will." Link says, his face a bit red too.

"Okey doke!" Navi sings as she flies into Link's hat.

"Sorry about her, she can be a little... annoying. OUCH NAVI! DON'T PULL MY HAIR!" Link swats his hat.

I giggle. "It's okay. Be thankful we're not in _Ocarina Of Time_. Her catch phrase is 'Hey, listen!'. She says it all the time."

Link laughs. "Thank heavens."

"Hey, listen!" Navi yells from inside Link's hat. Link swats it again.

"Okay," Link says drawing The Master Sword. "Here we go."

~X~

Epona flies out of the stable. The soldiers yell in surprise. Then they see who rides her. The draw their swords and run after us, many getting on their own horses. But Epona is far ahead of them.

"We'll go across Hyrule field go into the Lost Woods. They won't follow, they'll be too afraid. We'll go from there." Link yells.

"Sounds good!" I yell back.

Suddenly arrows fly past my head.

"Link!"

Link looks behind us. The soldiers wield bow and arrows, and they're all pointed at us.

When I look back at Link I'm surprised to see a bow and arrow in his hands as well. He points it at some of the soldiers and fires. He hits all of them, but just enough to injure them.

"How did you do that?" I yell. Now the bow and arrow is gone. Just like the games.

"Do what?" Link yells.

"Forget it! I'll ask you later!"

I take a moment to look at Hyrule Field. It looks like _Twilight Princess_. Gorgeous really. Rivers and bridges speckle the land, along with trees and bushes. And it the middle of it all stands Castletown and Hyrule Castle. The actual Hyrule Castle. This is the first time I've ever seen a real castle, and it takes my breath away. The setting sun reflects off of the castle, making it sparkle like gold. It's beautiful.

"Here we are!" Link yells. I look ahead of us. A huge forest stretches before us, dark and ominous. A shiver runs through me. So this is the Lost Woods.

And the next thing I know, we're inside the forest and my view of the Castle is gone.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The Lost Woods are worse than Link told me. They're terrifying. But, at the same time, they're absolutely beautiful. Lush and green, with flowers growing all over the place.

We've been in here for the past three days. Link was right, Ganondorf's soldiers didn't follow us, and I don't blame them. At night you can hear the monsters in the woods yell out and rustle around. To know they're real, and not just characters that Nintendo came up with... it's scary. But as long as I have Link with me, I'll be alright. I watched him fight off a couple of Bokoblins yesterday, he's an amazing swordsman. Just like in the game.

It took me a while to actually process that I'm in a video game, with two characters that I grew up with. It's weird being here, hearing about places that just a few days ago, were merely places in a video game that me and Jason argued over what was the best strategy to get through it.

Over the past few days, I've also been thinking about dying. A lovely subject for a 17 year old right? If I die in this world, do I die in my world? I replay the final moments with my parents and my brother, so thankful that our parting words were "I love you". If I die here, at least I can die with the knowledge that those were our last words. Do they even know I'm gone yet? Does time work differently, like in Narnia? I don't know the answers to any of these questions, but I'm not very sure I want to know.

Me and Link have also been talking a lot. He's exactly as I imagined him. Sweet, courageous, smart and honest. He asks me tons of questions about my world and _The Legend Of Zelda_ series. When I told him that he had his own television series for a while (after I explained what a television is) and that his catchphrase was "Well excuuuse me, Princess!" he gave me this horrified look and quickly shook his head. I laughed hard, and then explained the 80s to him.

I ask him a lot of questions about his world too. Turns out, he's farther than I was in the game, he's already been through three temples collecting Sacred Weapons from the goddesses. He needs all of them to be able to defeat Ganondorf and return Hyrule to peace.

He tells me about his parents, how they died, and about his older brother who lived in Castletown, and who is now Ganondorf's prisoner. I tell him about my parents and my brother. It feels good to talk about them. I wonder what they're doing right now.

Link's built a fire, since we've just entered the safest part of the woods, the Kokiri's forest. There are no monsters here, because of the Great Deku Tree's protection.

"So you don't know Saria?" I ask as he drags a log over for us to sit on.

"No. Who is she?"

"Your best friend in _Ocarina Of Time_, where you grow up as a Kokiri."

"Oh. No, as far as I know, there's no Kokiri named Saria."

"Too bad, I liked her."

He sits down and puts a pot of soup made from herbs in the forest on the fire.

"What about Sheik? He around?"

Link looks at me and grins. "Now Sheik is around. He's actually my best friend."

"Oh, really? You still think Sheik's a he?"

He looks at me confused. "Excuse me?"

"You don't know about Sheik and Zelda?"

He grins at this too. "Of course! I'm the one who introduced them to each other! One look at her, and Sheik was in love. Same with Zelda. I never thought they would get so serious to be married, but I couldn't be happier for them!"

My jaw drops open. Okay, now that is just plain weird. "Married?"

"Yes. But now that Ganondorf's taken over Castletown, needless to say the ceremony's been postponed. Sheik's been going insane with worry for Zelda. He was at the Sheikah's village at the time of the attack, and he's been beating himself up about not being there to save her." Link studies my face. "Is something wrong?"

I laugh. "Um, yeah, a little. You see, Sheik is actually supposed to be Zelda in disguise. He's in _Ocarina Of Time_, and Zelda has to turn into Sheik to hide from Ganondorf. So, basically they're the same person."

Link looks shocked at this. "What?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I can see how that may have been a little strange for you."

"Yep, just a little bit. So you've actually seen them together?"

Link laughs. "More than once. Don't worry, I'm positive that this Sheik and Zelda are two different people."

I nod. "Good."

Link stirs the embers to make the fire bigger, and I welcome the heat. It's damp and dark here, and my sweater isn't that much protection against it.

"I've been meaning to ask you," Link looks up. "How did you do that thing? With the bow and arrow. I mean, one minute it was there, the next it was gone. You do the same thing in all the games."

Link laughs. "Oh, that. When the goddesses informed me that I was their chosen hero, they granted me storage access in the Sacred Realm. Whenever I find one of their Sacred Weapons, it gets stored in the Sacred Realm. All I have to do is think of it, and BAM, there it is, ready for my use. It's pretty handy."

"That explains it!" I say. "I've always wondered how you did that."

Link smiles. "Well, now you know."

We sit in companionable silence for a while. After about 10 minutes, Link takes the pot off of the fire and pours it into a couple bowls. He hands one to me. I inhale deeply, it smells good.

As we eat, Navi flies groggily out from under Link's hat. "How close are we to the Kokiri's forest?"

"About a days ride." Link answers. "Just be patient."

Navi flutters over to the soup, smelling it. She suddenly looks more awake. "Yum!" She flies over to Links pouch and pulls out a small bowl and spoon, just big enough for her. She then goes over to the pot and scoops up some soup, and then settles down on Link's shoulder.

"So, what are we going to do once we get to the Kokiri's forest?" I ask Link once I'm done with my soup.

"We talk to the Great Deku Tree about the next temple we have to go to. He knows where they all are, but I can only ask him one location at a time. It's pretty annoying and time consuming."

I laugh. "Yeah, well, Nintendo enjoys doing that to you."

He smiles.

I yawn. My full stomach makes me suddenly aware of how tired I am. Link notices too.

"You go to sleep. I'll keep watch."

"I thought you told me that there are no monsters here?"

"Well, just in case. You never know."

~X~

I never knew what being saddle sore was like until I got transported into this game.

I put my head on Link's shoulder and close my eyes. We've been riding Epona since early this morning, with the exception of a quick lunch break, and I'm more than ready to get off. I feel sad for Link, all versions of him really, as I now understand how lonely he must be on his quests. All day, riding his horse through miles of lonely, dark woods, only to be rewarded with a dungeon where he was once again alone and in constant danger. I would go insane. I'm always sad whenever I finish a Zelda game, but from now on, I'll just be happy that Link doesn't have to be alone anymore.

"What do you miss about your world?" Link suddenly asks.

"Well," I say, thankful for the conversation to break the silence. "My family mostly. I miss my bed, and my house. And music, I miss music a lot."

"What kind of music do you have?"

"All sorts. We have genres of music, which basically means each genre sounds different. I love country music, it has a lot of guitar in it. And pop is fun to dance to, and it has a really catchy beat. My favorite musician is the band OneRepublic, they have great music."

Link nods. "I hope that one day I'll be able to hear your music."

"I think you'd like it."

Navi suddenly appears from underneath Link's hat. She has it easy, sleeping the whole ride on top of Link's head. "How close are we?"

"About three more hours." Navi groans while I groan inwardly. I honestly don't know if I can make it two more hours. Oh well, at least I'll have Link to talk to.

"What about books? What's your favorite?" Link asks as Navi disappears again.

"Probably _Beastly_ by Alex Flinn. It's a retelling of _Beauty and the Beast_, which is my favorite fairy tale." I pause. "Do you know what _Beauty and the Beast_ is?"  
Link shakes his head no. "Oh. Well, my favorite version is the Disney version. It's about a rude and ungrateful prince who is cursed by a witch because of his spoiled attitude. She turns him into a Beast, and turns his servants into household objects. She leaves him with an enchanted rose and a magical mirror which allows him to see outside his castle. In order to break the curse, he has to find a woman who will love him despite his ugly appearance, and he must love her in return, before the last petal falls on the enchanted rose, which will die on his 21st birthday. If he doesn't, he'll remain a Beast for all time. It's a really beautiful story. _Beastly_ is basically the same story except modern."

Link nods. "Does the Beast find someone? In the Disney version, I mean."

"Yes. Her name is Belle. Her father accidentally wanders into the Beast's castle, maybe about a year before the Beast's deadline. The Beast is still rude and selfish, so he locks Belle's father in the dungeon. She comes looking for him, and when the Beast refuses to release him, she takes her father's place. The Beast begins to soften and become kinder the more time he and Belle spend with each other. Eventually, he releases Belle from being his prisoner. But then the villagers find out about the Beast and go to kill him, lead by an evil man who is in love with Belle as well, named Gaston. Gaston stabs the Beast before he falls to his death. As the Beast lays dying, Belle tells him she loves him, and the last petal falls from the rose. Because she learned to love him, the curse is lifted and the Beast transforms back into a handsome prince. And they live happily ever after."

Link is entranced with the story. "Wow. Do you have any other stories?"

I laugh. "Yep. I know almost every Disney story by heart."

"Can you tell me more?"

"Of course. Do you want to hear about _Cinderella_ or _The Lion King_?"

We spend the next three hours with me telling Link all the Disney stories I can remember, from _Bambi_ and _Pocahontas_ to _Aladdin_ and _The Hunchback Of Notre Dame_. He loves them.

Just when I run out of stories, Link announces that we've reached the Great Deku Tree. Those three hours passed quickly.

Link helps he off the Epona. "Thank you for telling me all those stories, it was nice to listen to your voice instead of the wind in the trees."

I'm reminded of how lonely he must get. "I was more than happy to Link." I smile. He smiles to.

Navi flies out of Link's hat. "Ah, home! I missed this place."

Link smiles. "I did to. It always feels peaceful here."

I take a deep breath. It smells wonderful here, like roses and lavender. The air shimmers and sparkles float through the air, with lights dancing through the trees. The Kokiri's forest has a magical quality to it. It's beautiful here. And in front of us is an absolutely ginormous tree. It has symbols carved into it, and the leaves on it shimmer. As we approach it, a face suddenly appears on the bark.

"Hero chosen by the goddesses, how art thou?" A loud yet gentle voice booms.

"Fine, Great Deku Tree, thank you. I've come for the next location of the next temple." Link yells up to the tree.

"Thou brings another on thy quest." The tree rumbles. "One not from this world. She shall change the course of thy fate."

What? "I don't understand Great Deku Tree," Link yells. "What do you mean she'll change my fate?"

"The next temple lies in my forest." The tree continues as if Link didn't say anything. "Seek out the Kokiri, they shall lead you, Hero. Take care, the temple has long been overrun with enemies, thou must prepare thyself for the challenges this temple shall bring upon you."

"He always says that last line." Link whispers to me. "Thank you Great Deku Tree, I will. But what about what you said about Nicole changing my fate?"

"Thou shalt find out in time, Hero." The Great Deku Tree answers. "Now, go Hero, and face thy destiny." The face disappears.

"Well," Link says. "Off we go to the Kokiri."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Me and Link lie side by side gazing up at the stars. The constellations are different here. Link showed me the constellations of Din, Nayru, Farore, The Hero Of Time (which now he knows is actually him, just in another time.), Hylia, and a whole bunch of others.

We decided to camp just a little ways away from the Great Deku Tree, since it was too late to start off to the Kokiri's forest, which is still about an hour away.

"Oh, and there's The Hero Of Light. Which, I guess is also me?" Link says pointing to another constellation.

I nod. "Yep. That would be your _Twilight Princess_ version."

Link shakes his head. "That is so weird. I've been looking at those constellations my whole life, and now I find out they're really me. And you said I never talk?"

"Nope. Never. I've always wondered what your voice sounded like. Now I know."

Link smiles. "Do I sound like you thought I would?"

I smile too. "Better."

Link laughs.

Suddenly there's a bright flash of sparkling light. Both Link and I sit up, startled. A gorgeous woman stands before us, her long blue hair elegantly flows down her back. She has a royal quality about her. The blue dress that adorns her slim and graceful figure reminds me of water. She has clear and intelligent blue eyes, and they're focused on me. But after a few moments they move to Link.

"Hero. You have come far in your quest. And done well, might I add." Her voice is clear and graceful. "But I see you have an unexpected companion." Once again her eyes go to me.

"Nayru," Link bows to her. "Thank you. Yes, this is Nicole. She's not... from here."

The goddess smiles. "Yes, I know exactly where she came from, young warrior. I have been there many times myself."

I look at her in surprise. "You have?"

She nods kindly. "Yes, child." She turns back to Link. "I bring news of your quest."

Link nods.

"The news lies in what the Great Deku Tree told you, of Nicole changing your fate. He spoke the truth. Her presence here was not intended, therefore, the events that will take place on your quest will change. For some reason, the Triforce brought her here when she began to play the game. I do not know why exactly. She must have an important role in your life, Link, for the Triforce to have brought her here. And because of her, for better or for worse, the events that are about to take place will be different then that of the game."

"Wait, for worse?" I interrupt. "I don't want to put Link in any danger." But at the same time I don't want to leave. As much as it hurts to say this... "Maybe... you should send me back..."

Link looks like he wants to protest against it, but before he can Nayru answers my question. "I am afraid that I cannot. Even the combined powers of me and my sisters cannot send you back. I believe you must reach a certain point before we can send you back." Visible relief floods both me and Link. Nayru sees this and smiles slightly. "Though I also believe that neither of you would want to be separated so soon." I blush, and Link looks down at his shoes.

"I hope to see you both again soon. Be strong, and face each obstacle with courage." She looks at me. "And I promise, we will return you to your family safely. Link will see that through." And with that, Nayru, the goddess of wisdom, shimmers and disappears.

~X~

The Kokiri were even cuter in real life then they were in the game. They were sweet and friendly to us, and were eager to help us. The air seemed even thicker with sparkles and magic. I can't even explain it. It was beautiful.

It's been about a day since we were left. Link figures that we're about a day's ride away from the temple. Great, more riding.

As we ride I put my head on Link's shoulder and think about what Nayru said, that we have to get to a certain point in order for me to go home. I wonder where we have to get to. Probably the end of the game, which means that I'm gonna be here a long time. But I don't mind, I like spending time with Link and Navi, who seems to glow brighter here. The only down side is my family. What are they doing right now? My mind wanders off to the fairy tale stories David used to tell me when we were kids, stories about fairies and goblins and other worlds... I'm in one right now...

"Nicole? Wake up, we're going to set up camp for the night." Link's soft voice arouses me.

I look around groggily. It's dark out. How long was I asleep? "I fell asleep?"

Link smiles softly and nods. "About an hour ago. I didn't want to wake you, since there was really no need, so I let you sleep. Navi fell asleep too."

I smile. "Thanks." He helps me off Epona and he gets to work getting stray logs to surround us from any enemies while we sleep, we're far enough from the Great Deku Tree that we've started seeing monsters again. Which means no more fires. Dang it, I'm already cold.

Once Link has the logs set up he gets the blankets out of the pouch. He gives one to me. "You go to sleep, you look exhausted. I'll keep watch." He squeezes my hand.

I smile gratefully. I am exhausted. "Thank you." I settle on the ground and put the blanket over me. It's warm.

"Good night, Nicole." Link whispers as he sits down next to me, eyes on the woods.

"Good night Link."

~Link's POV~

I scan the woods for signs of movement. I know that it's inevitable that I'll have to fight at least one type of monster, and I'm ready.

I can hear Nicole's soft breaths behind me, and I'm momentarily distracted. I turn to look at her. She's beautiful even when she's asleep. I reach out to brush aside a stray lock of hair that's fallen onto her face. I swear, I will get her safely home, no matter what. I will not let her get hurt.

If Navi heard me, she'd probably spend the next week singing "Link and Nicole, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!".

Suddenly, I hear a branch snap. My eye go to the spot where I heard it and I make out a silhouette. I quickly get up and draw the Master Sword. As I make my way over to the silhouette it moves away from me, and leads me deeper into the woods. Then it disappears. I look around. No one. What was that? Then a chill goes up my spine. Something's very wrong.

Then I hear a scream.

Nicole!

I curse myself. How could I have been so stupid as too leave her alone? Stupid!

I run back to camp as fast as I can, tripping over fallen logs as I go. She has to be alright. She has to be.

I reach the clearing. I see the blankets that she had over her and run to them.

_Please, please let her be okay._

I reach them and throw them aside.

My heart stops.

She's gone.


	8. Chapter 8

**Ok, so I've also decided to add some elements from Skyward Sword. I hope that doesn't get too confusing for everybody! Oh, and just a warning, this one's gonna be pretty long. So prepare yourself!  
**

**Thank you all sooo much for your reviews, it means the world to me! Thank you all!**

Chapter Eight

I'm blind folded, gagged and my hands are tied behind my back. And I'm terrified. I have no idea where I am or who I'm with. Whoever woke me up is definitely not Link.

We're on a horse and riding fast though the forest. I can hear multiple horses. What's happening?

Then I hear a voice in the distance. "Nicole!"

Link!

"'E'll follow." A rough voice next to us says.

"That's the point, ya idiot!" The man with the grip on me says. "We _want _'im to follow! Ganondorf will reward us 'ighly when we return with 'im. Maybe 'e'll even reward us for the little brat we 'ave 'ere." He shakes me hard.

My head spins. I want to yell out to Link not to follow, but I can only manage a grunt that doesn't carry far.

The man laughs. "Don't even try, brat."

Real fear hits me. These men aren't kidding. If I give them any reason, they'll kill me. This isn't a game.

The man laughs again. I hate his laugh, it's like nails on chalkboard. "I can't believe 'e _actually_ fell for that! What an idiot!"

The others laugh to. "Some 'ero!"

"Can't even keep one little girl safe!"

So that's how they did it. They must have tricked him. I hear him yell again. "Nicole!"

"But Captain," One of my captors says. "'Ow's 'e gonna know where we are?"

The man pauses in his laughter. "I didn't think of that..." We stop. He leans down and whispers in my ear. His breath is rancid. "I'm gonna untie yer gag. Yer gonna yell out ta 'im in a desperate little voice an' 'e'll follow us. But ya tell 'im it's a trap... an' we kill ya an' then go back an' kill 'im, ya 'ear?" I nod. He unties me.

For just a fraction of a second I consider warning Link. But I know this man isn't lying, he _will_ kill us. Either way, there's going to be bloodshed.

"Link!" I manage to get out through my tears. "I'm here Link! Help!"

"Nicole! I'm coming!" He yells.

The man gags me again. "Good job, brat."

~X~

We've been riding for at least an hour. I know that Link is close by, but I don't know how close.

Finally we stop, and the man forces me off the horse. I fall hard and yell out in pain. The man grabs my arm painfully and forces me to my feet. We walk up a lot of steps, and enter what feels like a huge room. I'm tied to a pole.

"Now all we 'ave ta do is wait for the so-called 'ero." The man chuckles. He rips off my gag and blind fold. It's still dark out, but torches light the room we stand in. It reminds me of the Pirate Stronghold in _Skyward Sword._

I study the face of my captor. He's hideous, with long stringy black hair topped with a pirate hat. And he has a smile that would give a dentist a heart attack and make a shark run for its mother. He reminds me of a weird combination of Captain Hook and a zombie. "Welcome, brat, ta our the Pirate Stronghold, our loverly home. I be Salazar, Captain of the pirates. An' who you be? Not that it matters much since we're just gonna kill ya, since yer no more use ta us."

"You're not going to win, you know." I burst out before thinking.

"Oh really?" The pirate says in mock surprise. "An' why would that be?"

"Because Link is made of more than you think. He's a hero. And he's fought off tougher enemies than you with ease."

The other pirates laugh. "Are ya kiddin'? The Captain alone could chew 'im up an' spit 'im back out! 'E doesn't have a chance against us all."

Salazar smiles proudly. "That I would! 'E'd die within seconds."

So... these pirates have pride issues... I can work with that. Maybe I can buy myself a few more seconds until Link gets here.

I laugh. "Yeah right! Link's going to chew _you_ up and spit _you_ back out! You're the ones who don't have a chance. Especially you, Mr. Captain."

Salazar and the rest of the pirates go red in the face. "I'll 'ave ya know, brat, that I'm the best sword fighter there was in all of pirate 'istory!"

"Geez, 'e's become a little full of 'imself, don't ya think?" One pirate whispers to another.

"Who said that?!" Salazar whips out his sword.

"'E said it!" The pirates point at each other.

"Never mind you two," Salazar growls, and turns back to me. "As I was sayin', there's no one who could come close ta beating me!"

"Except Link."

The pirate yells out in anger and frustration. "'E would not!"

An idea comes to me. "Then prove it! Fight off five of your men... at the same time! Then I'll believe you."

"I'll do it!" The pirate yells. "You! Stanly! Come 'ere! An' you! Bracken! 'Ere, now! Collin, Fist, you too! Now then, be there a volunteer?"

"Yeah," A familiar voice says from high above. The sound of a blade being unsheathed rings throughout the room. "Me."

I look up. Standing in the shadows, a determined and quite angry look on his face, stands a hero.

"Link!"

~Link's POV~

As soon as I hear her voice, I'm on Epona and flying through the woods.

"Nicole! I'm coming!"

Navi flies out from under my hat. "Link? What's going on?"

"Nicole. She's been kidnapped. They, whoever they are, led me into the woods and they took her."

Navi's face contorts in shock. "No! Is she alright?"

"I don't know."

We ride through the night in strained silence. How could I have been so stupid?

"Link, watch out!" Navi screams.

In my deep-in-thought state I didn't notice that I'm barreling towards a man in the middle of the road, and I just barely manage to avoid him, and he continues to stand there still as a board. Idiot!

I get off Epona and make my way to the man, my sword drawn. He must be one of the men who took Nicole. "Where is she?" I yell at him. He continues to stand there as if there's not an angry 18-year-old in front of him ready to lob his head off with a sword. He wears high brown boots and good riding pants. He also has a long maroon cape draped over him, and a scarf wrapped around his face with his hood is up, so only his eyes are visible. They're similar to mine. And very familiar.

He raises an eyebrow. "She? Don't tell me the famous bachelor Link has finally found a pretty girl?" An amused voice answers me. I'd know that voice anywhere.

I lower my sword and grin. "Sheik? What are you doing here?"

"Oh you know me, running across Hyrule without any real reason." He answers. Although I can't see his smile, I know it's there. We've been best friends for long enough that we're getting close to reading each others' minds.

"Well, you better enjoy the freedom while you can. Soon, you'll be a married man, and I don't think Zelda will want you gone so much."

His smile falls and his eyes cloud over with worry. "_If_ we get married." He mumbles.

I walk over to him and put my hand on his shoulder. "You _will_ get married. She's going to be okay Sheik. She's strong, it'll all turn out all right in the end."

Sheik tries to smile. "Thanks. So, about this 'she' person..."

Nicole. My stomach flip-flops with worry. How far ahead are they? And what are they doing to her?

Sheik sees the worry on my face. "I'm guessing she's in danger?"

I nod.

"Say no more. Tell me about her on the way. I think I saw her just a little bit ago. A pretty girl with long hair and blue eyes?" I nod again. "Pirates got her. They'll take her to the stronghold. Apparently they're using her as bait to get to you for Ganondorf. Link, what have you been doing for the last two months?"

I realize that since me and Sheik have both been so busy with our own problems, I haven't gotten to tell him my new role in life.

I smile. "Oh, just fulfilling my role as the Hero chosen by the goddesses to defeat Ganondorf and take back Hyrule." I relish the look on Sheik's face, the one he only get's when he's surprised, which is practically never. "No biggie."

Sheik shakes his head as he mounts his horse, which I didn't notice until now had been standing in the shadows. "So you'll fill me in on both the girl and this sudden hero thing?"

I mount Epona. "Sure thing."

~X~

Sheik lets his Sheikah guard down when he's with me or Zelda, and becomes a real person. Along with he takes his scarf off his face, so you can actually see him. He becomes more expressive and laughs more. I always marvel at how he can hide all that personality when he becomes a Sheikah statue. It's like he's two different people.

Zelda and Sheik as the same person... that thought disturbs me so much it almost hurts. I think I'm going to keep it from him just a little while longer. It'll scare him more than it does me.

Thanks to a short cut Sheik knows about, we reach the Pirate Stronghold in half the time as the pirates. When I asked why the pirates weren't traveling this way, Sheik snorted with laughter.

"Because they have the joint IQ of a grape. The idiots don't even know this path exists. And they call themselves great fighters, yeah right."

We crouch in the shadows high above the main room. I've already explained the whole Hero thing and how Nicole got here to Sheik. He took it pretty well. It's me having possible feelings for Nicole he's having trouble with. I swear, he's just like Navi, who stayed out with Epona. She didn't want to, but this could get messy, and I don't want her getting hurt.

"So, you _have_ found a pretty girl." Sheik grins.

"May I remind you that you just happen to be engaged, so me possibly liking Nicole is nothing compared to you. And you fell for Zelda first!"

Sheik's grin gets wider. "You admit it!"

"I did not, I said it was possible. And what are you grinning at, Mr. I-Can-Never-Be-Tied-Down-By-A-Girl?"

Sheik shrugs. "I fell in love. I wouldn't have said that if I had known what love was like. Along with the fact that I didn't know that I'd end up with such an amazing girl."

I smile. I'm glad he's happy.

Then, in walks in the pirates. And Nicole. The Captain has a hold on her elbow and they tie her to a pole. I grip my sword. Sheik wraps his scarf around his face again as it dissolves into his non expressive Sheikah look. Payback time.

~Normal POV~

I feel like crying with relief. Link stands ready with the Master Sword in his hand. I've never seen him look so angry. I didn't even think he was capable of _being_ angry. A boy his same age stands beside him, his face absolutely expressionless and partway covered by a scarf. Is that... no way. It's Sheik! He looks even cooler in real life! Both boys look more than ready to pound Salazar's face in.

"Count me in too." Sheik says in an a voice that's just as expressionless as his face.

Link's eyes flick to me in concern. I smile at him to reassure him that I'm fine.

"Ah. The 'ero. An' 'e brought a friend too!" Salazar sneers. "All the more fun for us. You'll be wishin' you were never born by the end of this, boys."

Link laughs.

"I think it'll be you guys who'll be wishing you were never born." Sheik says.

And suddenly the sound of swords clashing fills the large room.

I haven't really seen Link in action before. Sure, I saw him fight off a couple Bokoblins in the forest, but right now he's in his full glory. His sword seems like it's an extension of his own arm, each move flows into the next. It's amazing to watch. Sheik's just as good. The two boys knock out one pirate after another. They're unstoppable.

The one thing that bothers me is that I'm right in the middle of the fight, and I can't move. I'm still tied to the pole. I try to wiggle the knots of the rope loose, but whoever tied them did a good job. At first I think that they'll probably avoid me, but that thought is short-lived, because in his excitement to take a shot at Link and Sheik, a pirate looses control of his sword and it flies at my head. I scream and slide down the pole, the sword barely missing my head, lodging itself in the pole. The nut doesn't even notice me as he pulls the sword out. But as he turns around, mid battle cry, he comes face-to-face with Link, who takes the Master Sword and hits the pirate hard on the head. He crumples to the floor, out cold. Link runs over to me and begins to untie the knot the binds me.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" He asks in a worried voice.

As soon as I'm free I tackle him with a hug. I can't help it, I'm so relieved to see him. It surprises him, but he hugs me back. "No, no, I'm fine! A few bumps and bruises but I'm fine. Thank you."

He takes a step back and smiles. "Good." Then another pirate steps behind him and gets ready to decapitate him.

"Link, watch out!" I yell. But Link's ready. His sword's out faster than I can comprehend and he's head-to-head with the pirate.

As I watch him take out another two, someone grabs me from behind and rests a knife against my throat. I gasp. "I believe that's enough men."

Captain Salazar holds me tightly, so tightly that I can't move without the knife slitting my throat. I'm trapped. Link drops his sword. Sheik stops mid swing.

"Believe me boys," Salazar says. "I 'ighly admire yer attempt, ya did well. Yer both decent fighters. But ya see, I 'ave a bit leverage." He pushes the knife a harder against my throat. Link looks like he's ready to punch him. He starts to make his way towards us, but Salazar presses the knife even closer. It hurts now, and I feel a small stream of blood trickle down my throat. Link stops abruptly.

"I warn ya 'ero, one more step an' she's gone." Salazar hisses. Link looks torn. "Good boy. Now yer gonna stay 'ere, an' yer not gonna follow, or I _will_ kill 'er. Got that 'ero?"

Link nods painfully. "Just... just don't hurt her." He says weakly.

Salazar laughs an ugly laugh and we back away. I feel tears spring up in my eyes. I'm scared. Salazar really is going to kill me. "Link!" I squeak.

And then we're out of the stronghold and on Salazar's horse, riding until it becomes a tiny dot in the distance. I didn't realize how close we were to the ocean. But I guess it makes sense since they are pirates. The area we ride through looks exactly like the Lanayru Desert, except now the Lanayru Sand Sea is an ocean. What's Salazar planning on doing to me? I know that he wants Link to follow, but his plan is really shabby and not very well thought through. But still, this man is dangerous. Just because his plan isn't the best, doesn't mean it can't be effective. I'm still scared.

After about 10 minutes I do something stupid. I try to escape. I jerk my head and bite the hand that still presses the knife to me. Salazar yells out in pain and I wiggle out of his grasp. Unfortunately I hit the ground hard on my left shoulder. Stars flash in front of my eyes from the pain, but it doesn't stop me for long. I get up and start running back to the stronghold, which is really stupid because we're a couple miles from it now. Salazar quickly catches up to me and drags me back to the horse.

"Ya little brat! That 'urt!" He yells. I stomp on his foot and elbow him in the ribs. He yells and lets go of me again, not sure whether to hold his foot or ribs. I make a run for it, but this time Salazar grabs my wrist and yanks on it hard, as if he's trying to detach my arm. It's my turn to yell out in pain. Now he's not just mad, he's furious.

"I'm just about done with ya!" I start pounding hard on his chest. Finally I just slap him. But that's my biggest mistake.

He slowly turns his head to me, eyes full of hatred. He looks like the undead. "You just can't take a hint can ya? This ain't about gettin' the boy to Ganondorf anymore. This is personal." I think he might be on the verge of pulling that knife out. In fact, he does. I scream and close my eyes, waiting for the inevitable...

...But it never comes.

Instead a surprised gasp comes from the captain of the pirates. I open my eyes and instantly want to close them again. A sword protrudes from his chest. He looks down at it as if he can't believe it's there. Then his hold on my wrist goes limp and his now lifeless body crashes to the ground. Behind him stands Link.

"Link!" I gasp. I nearly collapse myself. He has a grim look on his face, and I can tell that he didn't want to do that.

I don't realize I'm crying until Link brushes my cheek to stop the flow of tears. I'm shaking too. I try to stop the tears but I can't, the events and fear of today suddenly hit me in the gut. It's too much. I bury my head in his tunic and sob.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

~Link's POV~

I hold Nicole as she cries. And it's all my fault. If I hadn't left, none of this would've happened. She would've died if I hadn't gotten to Salazar first.

Eventually she stops crying. I realize she's fallen asleep from the exhaustion.

I sigh. This is all my fault.

I gather her up in my arms and walk over to Epona, who neighs affectionately. I mount her and make sure Nicole is in no danger of falling off, and we start off in the direction of the Pirate Stronghold.

When we reach it, Sheik sits on his horse waiting for us. He stayed behind to get rid of the rest of the pirates. I admire that he got rid of them by himself. Smoke drifts from the stronghold, and fires dot the windows. He must've used a bomb.

He looks at me with worry and relief written on his face. "I was getting worried. You've been gone for at least and hour and a half. What happened?"

"I killed Salazar." I say. I really don't want to talk about his death. Thankfully Sheik can see that and doesn't push the topic.

He spots Nicole in my arms. "Is she okay?"

I nod. "She's fine. She broke down crying and then the events of today caught up to her."

"Okay then. Let's start off to that next temple of yours."

"You're coming too?" I ask surprised.

"Sure. I don't have anything else to do. I can't get to Zelda yet, because of all the high security surrounding the castle. I can't even get through the front gates. Me! And besides, you're my best friend. I wouldn't let you go face your almost certain death all by yourself."

I grin. It'll be nice having Sheik along for the ride. "Welcome aboard."

~Normal POV~

I can hear two voices talking softly. One of them laughs. I can tell that one is Link, but I don't quite recognize the other one. I feel the heat of a fire nearby, and I can tell it's dark out. How long have I been asleep?

I open my eyes, which burn because of my crying. I'm lying on the soft earth and a warm blanket is draped over me. The two boys have their backs to me. The other voice I heard turns out to be Sheik. They laugh again. Woah. I didn't think Sheik could laugh...

I slowly get up. Link hears me and turns around. He smiles.

"Good! You're awake! I was beginning to get scared that you were sick or something."

I smile back and walk over to them. "No, I'm fine."

Sheik turns around and my jaw drops. No way... "Hi Nicole. I don't think we've been introduced. My name is Sheik." He holds his hand out.

I take it, gaping at his exposed face. He took his scarf off! No way! He looks similar enough to Link that they could be brothers. Same color eyes, same color hair, even similar facial features. But Sheik seems a little older, and he's a bit more muscular. He has a kind face. Woah again. He has facial expressions?

"Um, is there something on my face?"

I snap out of my surprise at seeing his face. "No, sorry! It's just that you've never taken your scarf off before. It's kind of weird."

He looks at me with a confused expression. "We've met?"

Link laughs. "She's met you, but not the other way around." Sheik looks more confused. "Remember how I told you that this is a video game in her world? You're a character. Sorry, should've explained that."

"Oh." Sheik says, suddenly understanding. "I never take my scarf off? That's weird. I take it off all the time. Well, not in public, but I still take it off. It isn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the world."

"Well, you know there's a reason."

"There is?"

I turn to Link. "You didn't tell him about his dual roles, huh?"

Link shakes his head. "I was saving it for you to tell him. You can explain it better than me."

"Explain what?" Sheik asks, confused once again.

I turn back to him. "Uh, well this may come as a bit of a shock, but you're a girl."

"What?"

"And not just any girl," Link adds, enjoying Sheik's confusion. "Zelda."

"What?!"

I explain to him about how Zelda turned into him in_ Ocarina Of Time_ to hide from Ganondorf. He's shocked, but doesn't totally freak out. He's close though. Then I tell him that in _Super Smash Bros. Brawl_ he appears as a girl, as well as Zelda's other identity, and he loses it.

"I'm a _girl?! _And not just any girl, but the girl I'm engaged to?! What idiot came up with that?!" He cries. Link's laughing hysterically at his reaction.

"Yeah." I tell him, trying hard to not laugh myself. "Sorry."

He shakes his head. "I can't believe this."

Link gets up takes the pot off the fire. It smells wonderful. He hands a bowl to me. This time the soup has meat in it, and it _is _wonderful. I never thought that Link would be a good cook.

After we all finish eating, I notice someone missing from our group.

"Where's Navi?" I ask Link.

"Where else would she be?" He points to his hat. "As soon as we assured her that you were okay, she was out like a light. I didn't think it was possible for anyone to sleep that much before I met her."

I laugh. Speaking of sleep, I notice for the first time that the two boys look absolutely exhausted. Especially Link. I realize that Link has barely had any sleep within the last 24 hours, if any at all. He must be on the verge of collapsing. And yet he insists he takes the first guard shift.

"No you're not, Link." Sheik says. "You've had almost no sleep in the past day. Or in the past week I'm sure. For heavens sake Link, how much sleep have you gotten since you started this whole thing?"

"Okay, okay Sheik!" Link holds his hands up in surrender. "Yes, I haven't gotten that much sleep in the past two months, but I'm okay."

Then he turns to look at me. Big mistake. I stare him down.

"Okay, fine, Sheik, you can take the first watch."

"And the second."

"No. I'll take the second."

"Neither of you are taking the watch." They both turn to look at me. "Honestly, you both look like the undead. I've been asleep all morning, I feel great. I'll take all the watches, however many there are. You're both going to sleep tonight."

"Absolutely not!" Link says. "You don't have any experience with weapons. I'm not going to lose you to some Moblin just after getting you back."

"Oh come on, I know how to handle them! I control you killing monsters all the time!" I reply. I meant for it to be a joke, but Link obviously doesn't catch on and still looks doubtful. "If I see or hear anything weird I'll just wake you both up. I promise. I'll be fine."

Link still looks like he wants to argue, but Sheik beats him, eager to get some sleep. I bet he's been up for about a week too. "Okay, I like that plan. Get us up the second you see anything wrong. Night!" And with that he gets a blanket from his pouch and settles on the ground. Within three minutes he's snoring.

~X~

I've watched the woods for a couple of hours. Straining my ears for any unnatural sound, but the only thing I hear is Sheik's snores and Link's slow breathing. It's pretty peaceful. No monsters yet.

I don't really feel tired. The events of the past day run through my mind. I almost died. If it wasn't for Link I would've died. Yes, it scared me horribly, but at the same time, it was thrilling in a way. Not that I'd want to do it again, but it was interesting to experience what I put the video game Link through every time I played the games. He goes through a lot. He went through a lot to get me back safe. He risked his life for me. Nayru was right, I am safe with him.

I start humming softly to break the monotony of Sheik and Link. Or, maybe just Sheik.

"That's a nice song." I hear Link whisper from behind me.

I turn around, a little startled. "Sorry, did I wake you up?"

He shakes his head. "No, I've been awake for a couple of minutes. I told you I should've took watch."

I smile. "Well, you've been asleep for about four hours, so as far as I'm concerned it was a good choice."

Link gets up and comes over to sit by me. "What was that you were humming?"

"A song from a play in my world."

"What's the play called?"

"_Les Misérables._"

"What language is that?"

I laugh. "We call it French. Translated it means 'The Miserable Ones'."

"It sounds depressing."

"It kind of is," I laugh. "But it's beautiful. Especially the movie."

"I wish I could see it." Link says wistfully.

I can tell he really wants to. "How about this, since I came here, you need to come to my world and I'll put on OneRepublic CDs and we'll go to McDonald's. Then we'll watch _Once Upon A Time_ and _Ellen_ all day and playing all the Zelda games. Then we'll spend the night watching _Les Misérables_ and all the versions of the play online. Sound good?"

Link smiles. "I wouldn't miss it."

We sit in companionable silence for a few minutes.

"Link?"

"Yes?"

"Was that the first person you've killed? Besides monsters, I mean."

Silence. Then, "Yes."

"Was it hard?"

"Yes." Then he turns to look at me. "And no. He would've killed you. But still, I'm not proud of it."

"Thank you. For everything, Link."

He smiles. "You're welcome."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Link and I sit talking for another hour or so. It's nice.

When I mentioned how nice it is not having to worry about homework, he asked me what homework is, and we started talking about school. I told him about my favorite classes and my friends and my teachers. My eyelids begin to get heavy, and it gets harder to keep focused. Soon my head is resting on his shoulder and I can barely open my eyes.

"Nicole?"

"Link, I think we're good enough friends that you can just call me Nicky."

He smiles. "Nicky. I like that. Well, Nicky, I think it's time for you to get some sleep."

"What? No, I'm fine." Of course I have to yawn as I say that. "You're the one who needs sleep." But as I say that I feel myself drifting off.

He gets up and I feel his strong arms pick me up and he sets me down on a patch of dry, soft grass. He drapes a warm blanket across me. I give in to sleep.

"Good night, Link."

Just as I feel myself slipping away, I hear him whisper, "Good night, Nicky. I promise I won't let anything hurt you."

I smile. "I trust you." I whisper.

~X~

When I wake up the first thing I hear is Navi scolding the two boys, both of whom are laughing uncontrollably.

"You idiots!" She yells. "I can't believe you would even think of doing that! You knew I was in that hat! I should go right back to Kokiri Forest and leave you alone to die!"

"Oh, come on Navi." Sheik says through his laughter. "Can't you take a joke?"

"Not when it involves me getting soaking wet and freezing!" She shrieks back.

"Okay, okay, we're sorry Navi. It was a mean joke." Link says, trying to keep a straight face. "Forgive us?"

"Go drown in Lake Hylia!" Navi screams and stalks off into the forest.

I get up and walk over to them. "What was that about?"

Link turns around and smiles at me. "Sorry about that. Sheik thought it'd be funny to fill up my hat with water while Navi was still sleeping in it. She got pretty mad, as you saw."

Sheik grins. "Not my most brilliant plan ever, but it was still pretty hilarious."

"What was your most brilliant plan?" I ask him.

He thinks for a moment. "Probably when I tricked my friend Brandon into drinking a potion that makes your tongue swell up. He was talking to this one girl he liked when it kicked in. Priceless!"

"Or when you tricked the palace guards into chasing after cuccos and we slipped inside." Link smiles. "They looked so stupid chasing them around Castletown."

"Especially that one that dove into a barrel trying to catch one!" Sheik laughs. Then he gets a faraway look on his face. "That was the day I met her."

"Zelda?" I ask.

He nods. "Yes. She was wearing this beautiful purple dress and her hair looked like gold. She was reading a book in the garden, and this may be a little corny, but the second I saw her it was like the whole world got sunnier and warmer. When she saw us she was startled for a second, but relaxed when she recognized Link. They'd known each other for a while because of Alac doing a lot of business with the King. She scolded him for sneaking in and harassing the guards, and then she looked at me. I swear, her eyes were like sapphires. Thank heavens I had my scarf on because I'm sure I looked like an idiot. After that we spent more and more time with each other and then we got engaged." He suddenly looks angry. "But then Ganondorf came and put all of Hyrule into complete chaos, and then decided to hold the Royal Family hostage. If I'd been there-"

"You would've gotten captured too." Link interrupts. "If you'd been there it would've only made things worse. At least now you have a chance of getting them out of there." Sheik still looks worried. "She'll be okay Sheik, you know that."

Sheik takes a deep breath and nods. "Yeah, I know. But that doesn't make me worry any less." He then turns to me and smiles. "You remind me a lot of her. Pretty, brave and smart. You'd be friends."

I smile back. "I'd like to meet her. I've always wanted to, she's amazing. I hope she's more like the _Skyward Sword_ version, she's my favorite. But since she's with you I bet she's more like _Twilight Princess_, even though that version is more of a brunette, or _Ocarina Of Time_."

"Zelda as a brunette? I can't imagine that" Sheik laughs.

"Why is she being with Sheik a difference between the versions?" Link asks as he walks over to the stream and uses a cup to get some water.

"Well, if she's attracted to Sheik than she obviously wouldn't be _Skyward Sword_ Zelda."

"Why not?" Sheik asks.

Then I realize I haven't told them about the whole Zelink thing. Whoops. "Oh, I didn't tell you huh?"

"Tell us what? That Sheik's also Zelda's brother?" Link asks.

"Oh please no." Sheik looks slightly panicked. "I wouldn't be able to handle that."

"No, it's worse than that."

"He's her father isn't he?" Link asks while taking a drink of his water.

"No. Link, this may come as a shock, again, but you and Zelda end up together in that one."

Link chokes on his water and Sheiks eyebrows go up. "I what?" Link manages to fit in between his coughing.

"Yeah, sorry I didn't mention that earlier. A lot of people think that you guys end up together in other ones too, but _Skyward Sword_'s the only one that really depicts the relationship. In some other ones there are girls that a lot of people think you should end up with, like Malon and Iila and Midna."

"My best friend and the girl I'm engaged to get together in a different life?" Sheik asks obviously confused. Link shakes his head, looking horrified.

"Well if you think about it, it makes sense." I say. "Since that Link and Zelda were the first ones it only fits that they end up together, and they're so cute together. Besides, that Link went down to the ground that was filled with monsters by himself to save her, how could they not be together?"

"Me and Zelda?" Link looks just as confused as Sheik. "That's the last thing I wanted to happen. And that just happened to slip your mind?"

"Hey, you try talking to someone who shouldn't be real and remembering to tell him all this stuff!" I say defensively.

"Sorry, it's just a lot to absorb." Link says rubbing his head. "Is there anything else about our other selves we should know?"

I think for a minute. "The first Zelda was actually the goddess Hylia. And the first Link battled the first bad guy named Demise, who got reincarnated as Ganondorf. You have a sister in the _Wind Waker,_ but in a lot of games you don't have any family. You can turn into a wolf in _Twilight Princess_. Sometimes you're depicted as a kid and sometimes an adult. That's about it, but if I think of anything else I'll be sure to tell you."

Link nods and stands up. "Alrighty then, that's nice to know."

Sheik nods too. "It fits that Zelda would be a reincarnation of a goddess."

Suddenly Navi flies in, looking excited. "Link! I found it, I found it!"

"Found what?" Asks Sheik.

"The next temple! It's right over here!" She points of into the forest.

Link looks surprised. "I didn't know we were so close."

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Link." Sheik says as he starts to gather things up. "We just cut two days off of what we expected to be the way there. Just be thankful we don't have to go to sleep tonight with Navi out for blood."

~X~

The Forest Temple is beautiful. It looks ancient, which I'm sure it is since it looks exactly like the Skyview Temple in _Skyward Sword_. It's made of a white stone, vines with big pink flowers climb up the walls. But there's something wrong with the temple. When we walk up the steps and start looking for the entrance, it's sealed. There's writing on the stone that seems to have once been the entrance.

_Hero_

_Hero of old_

_Hero of new_

_No longer doth this temple hold meaning_

_No longer is this temple what it once was_

_But do not let down thy guard_

_Still is there a trial thou must face_

_In the sky_

_High in the sky_

_The bird shall fly thee_

"I don't get it." Sheik says.

"This temple is the same one that the first Link went through." I tell them. "Apparently it's not in use anymore."

"There's a temple in the sky?" Link asks as he studies the inscription.

"There's a Sky Temple in _Twilight Princess_. Maybe it's talking about that. But to get there that Link has to have a canon repaired and then he's shot into the sky. I don't see any canons available for our immediate use."

"I'd really rather not be shot out of a canon." Link says.

Navi flutters over to the inscription. "What does 'the bird shall fly thee' mean?"

That's when it hits me. I wonder...

I run over to a patch of grass by a huge tree next to the temple. I start searching through the grass.

"Nicky?" Link calls out. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for something that can tell us how to get to the temple." I tell him. Where is it? That is, if it's even here...

There it is! An ancient stone tablet stands covered by grass. The old stub of a Deku Baba lies a few feet from it. I remember killing that.

_He who descended from above:_

_look to the star that the bird_

_rising heavenward gazes upon,_

_and aim your shot there_

This _is_ the Skyview Temple! "Found it!" I yell.

Link walks over to me. "This is even more confusing than the other one."

"That's because this one isn't directed at you. It's talking to the first Link, the one that went through this temple. I remember seeing it when I was playing the game."

"Oh," Link says. "So, do I have to shoot something at a star with a bird?"

I shake my head. "No, that was for the other Link, it was telling him how to enter the temple. But since the temple is out of business now it's of no use to us."

"So why is it so important?"

"Because if this is still here, than the bird statue should still be there. And I'm pretty sure that the bird statue is what the writing on the temple is referring to." I run off in the direction of where I remember it being.

"Bird statue?" Link asks.

I reach the front of the temple. I remember it stood off to the left of it. When I walk in that direction a tall thing covered in vines captures my eye. Could that be it?

"Hey, Link!" I yell as I try to tug the vines off. "I need your help cutting these."

He comes over and starts hacking at the vines with his sword. We pull them off. And there it is. Faded and old, yes, but it's the bird statue.

Link removes the remaining vines. "What is this?"

"It helped _Skyward Sword_ Link get to the ground and back up to Skyloft. They were left all over the ground and in all the temples for Link by Hylia. It also served as a saving point in the games, which was a bit annoying because you had to find one each time you wanted to save. And in temples when you found one you could go out of the temple. I bet that the next temple is somewhere up in the sky near where Skyloft was and we need to use the bird statue to get up there." That would be so cool!

Sheik comes over. "It looks like a regular wooden statue though."

I look at it. He's right, it looks like it's been deactivated. Maybe it was when the original Link died. Will it even work? But it was activated when the first Link touched it. Maybe the same would work for this Link.

"Touch it Link."

"Huh?" He says.

"The original Link touched it and it activated itself along with all the rest of them. Maybe if you do the same it'll happen again."

Link shrugs. "Might as well give it a shot." He places his hand on top of it. The reaction is instant. The statue glows and shoots an orange beam of light in the air. Yep, it worked.

"Woah." Sheik gapes.

"So, how did that Link tell the statue that he wanted to go home?" Link asks staring up at the sky.

I pause. "I... I don't really know. In the game it gives you choices. But I don't know how to do it in real life."

"Maybe you touch it and tell it to take you to the sky." Sheik suggests.

"Why not?" Link touches it again. "Take us to the sky."

The bird glows brighter. Suddenly we're shot up into the air in the orange beam of light.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

We soar up through the air, everything blurred, disoriented and orange. I find my self screaming. Then there's a ringing sound and we're spit out of the column of light, and sent tumbling to the ground. We all start screaming. I brace myself for the impact on the ground that will kill me for sure...

...But instead I hit the back of a ginormous yellow bird. No, not just a bird, a Loftwing. I look around me. Navi flutters nearby, and Link and Sheik are on Loftwings too. Sheik has a blue one, and Link's riding a crimson colored one, just like his Loftwing in _Skyward Sword_. They're all gaping at something in the distance. I turn and face in front of me and my jaw drops too. A huge island floats in midair directly in front of us. Skyloft. The actual Skyloft. I can't believe it.

The birds fly us over to it and land. We all hop off, marveling at the city before us. Although it's obviously ancient and has long been abandoned it's still the same Skyloft that I have memorized from _Skyward Sword._ We stand in the plaza right next to the Light Tower. I can see the residential quarters and the Bazaar from here, as well as the Knight Academy. Water still flows from the waterfall and Loftwings, though none have riders, fly above us. It's amazing, but sad at the same time. In the game, music plays as you walk around, and you can easily find residents. Now, it's quiet and I'm positive we're the only people here.

"Is this..." Link starts.

"Skyloft?" I finish for him. "Yep. This is where the Triforce and the Master Sword were hidden by Hylia and where the first Link grew up. Then when he defeated Demise he and Zelda and the rest of the residents of Skyloft made permanent residence on the ground and founded Hyrule."

"It's incredible." Sheik says walking over to the Light Tower and gazing up. "This city must be thousands of years old. I can't believe it's in such good shape. You'd think it'd be falling apart."

"I guess the goddesses have been taking care of it." Link goes over and and stands by Sheik. "If this place is a temple than it should be sturdy enough to not kill us the minute we touch it. The monsters will take care of that later."

A temple. Uh oh. Out of all the _Skyward Sword_ dungeons Sky Keep was by far the most confusing. All that rearranging rooms made me beyond frustrated. I'd really rather not have to go through that temple all over again. But, then again, at the end of the game the Statue of the Goddess and Sky Keep fell to the ground and fit back into the Sealed Grounds, killing the Imprisoned. And it doesn't make sense that Sky Keep would be one of the first dungeons, since it was the last one and held the Triforce. Is Skyloft itself the dungeon?

The answer comes soon when a burst of green light explodes in front of us. A woman, very similar to Nayru but this time dressed in green stands before us. She smiles at us. Farore, the goddess of courage. We all bow to her.

"Welcome heroes. This is the home of your ancestors, the Triforce, and the sword you now hold Link." She turns to me. "And to answer your question, no, Skyloft is not the dungeon. At least, not the Skyloft we stand in."

"Wait," Sheik interrupts. "Does that mean that we're going to go back in time to when this place was inhabited?" Under her gaze he suddenly realizes that he never put his scarf back on. He reaches for it but Farore's voice stops him.

"Do not bother, Sheikah, I have already seen you. There is no need to cover such a handsome face." Sheik looks down at his feet, I'm sure because of both the compliment and the fact that he still doesn't have his scarf on.

"We're going to go back in time and I'm going to meet another me?" Link looks a little panicked at the thought.

Farore smiles. "Do not fret Hero, you will not need to time travel."

Navi flutters over. "Then what other Skyloft is there?"

The goddess looks at me again. "I believe Nicole knows."

I do? I think, what other Skyloft is there?

"I will give you a hint." Farore whispers. "It is not in this realm."

It isn't? Wait...

Oh no...

Link comes over and puts his hand on my shoulder. "Nicky are you okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Not quite but pretty darn close." I whisper. I look back to Farore. "Please tell me I'm wrong."

She gives me a sympathetic smile. Dang it, I am right. "That depends child, what do think I meant?"

"The Silent Realm?"

She nods. Oh no.

"The Silent Realm?" Link asks. "What's that?"

"A very scary place where I got you killed a few times." I answer. He looks a little startled, so I add, "But it was only your spirit, so you didn't technically die, you just got beaten by a Guardian with a big club." That didn't make it sound any better. "But I got better each time!"

"I don't like that place." Navi says.

"Yes, child, you are right. You must go through the Silent Realm. Skyloft is the dungeon you all fear, but not in this realm. In the Silent Realm, this city is different. Guardians and Watchers inhabit it, and they also guard the next three Sacred Weapons."

"What are Guardians and Watchers?" Navi asks nervously.

"I am sure Nicole would be happy to explain the functions of the Silent Realm and its inhabitants." Actually I'd rather not.

"Just a quick question your goddessness," Sheik holds up his hand. "How many more Sacred Weapons does Link need?"

The goddess turns to Link. "How many have you collected?"

"Five." Link answers. "The bow and arrows, a Clawshot, a bomb bag, the Beetle, and the Hylian Shield."

"You have collected all the minor Sacred Weapons. Now you must collect the three Sacred Weapons that were left by three chosen heroes."

"Links who came before me?"

"Yes."

"One more question." I say nervously. "None of this sounds like it would happen in the game. And that's because it doesn't, does it?"

Farore hesitates. "It is complicated to explain what happened when you entered this world. You rewrote Link's destiny, his quests and the outcome. Yes, none of this will appear in your game. But right now, this is the only way Link will be able to defeat Ganondorf. Even me and my sisters cannot change things back to the way they were supposed to be. These Sacred Weapons were not intended for Link to find. He now needs to do things involving the past that before would not have been necessary. You have changed everything."

But is that good or bad?

"I will leave you now to explore Skyloft, experience what your ancestors called home, and where your legacy began, Link. And to study what terrain you will up against when you enter the Silent Realm. When you are ready, thrust your sword into the Trial Gate." She waves her hand and a big, glowing blue flower like mark appears on the ground. "You will all be taken there. You will need your courage to survive, for you will not be sent in spirit, but as a whole. If you die there, you are lost to this realm as well. Take care, and good luck!" With that she disappears in a shower of green sparks.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

I stare at the Trail Gate. We have to go into the Silent Realm? I was scared of it when I first played it, and it was in a video game! Now that it's real, and I know that on the other side of that gate dwells the Guardians and Watchers and Waking Water, I'm terrified.

"So, care to explain to us what the heck this Silent Realm is and why you're so scared of it?" Navi asks.

I'm brought back to the real world. Or, at least the video game real world. Link still stands by my side, staring warily at the gate. "I take it it's not a very fun place, huh?"

I take a deep breath. "You could say that..." I tell them all about the Silent Realm. Navi looks terrified, even Sheik looks pretty scared. But Link just takes it all in calmly and asks practical questions about how the Silent Realm works. I guess he's already been through so many life threatening situations that this is just his daily routine. And the fact that he's spent the past nine days learning all about a different world in which he's a video game character.

Nine days. I've been in here for over a week. What are my parents and David doing right now?

"Nicky?" Link says next to me. Once again, here I am.

"Yeah, did you say something?"

"No, I did." Sheik says. "So, if Link can call you Nicky, can I too? Just makes it easier."

"Me too!" Navi chimes in.

I smile. "Sure."

Link looks around at the city we stand in. "So, how about we start exploring? I never thought I'd be able to explore a dungeon before I had to go through it." He turns to me. "Lead the way."

"Okay." I say, excited to explore Skyloft in real life. "Where do you want to start?"

"Everywhere."

So we spend the next few hours exploring Skyloft. We climb the Light Tower (which is terrifyingly high by the way, combined with the fact that we're on a floating island thousands of feet above the ground), we go through the now empty Bazaar, we go into all the deserted houses, and go into the waterfall where Link and Sheik have to fight off Keese and green Chuchu. It's amazing, and beautiful. We finally end up at the Knight Academy.

The doors are locked on the lower level, but we get in through the doors on the top level. I walk over to Zelda's room and turn the knob. It's open.

We all walk inside. It looks like it does in the game, but a bit more barren, like everything else here. But a small picture still sits on Zelda's old desk. As Link and Sheik sit down on the bed and Navi flutters under Link's hat I walk over to it and pick it up. It's a beautiful drawing, and incredibly life like, even though it's extremely old and a bit faded. The detail of the two people in the drawing is fantastic. And I recognize the young couple instantly. It's the first Link and Zelda.

Zelda has her hair in a braid down the front, and she has on a beautiful purple and blue dress. Link wears his usual green tunic, but has a red cape draped across him. They both look so happy.

"Is that Link and Zelda?" Link asks from behind me.

I turn around. "Yeah. I guess this is after they went down to the ground. Maybe they're married." I hand it to him. He studies it for a minute.

"We look exactly alike." He says.

"Yeah. You kind of do." Sheik says as he looks at the picture. "Is that Zelda?"

I nod. "Does she look different from your Zelda?"

"Yeah. I mean, they look similar but different too. This Zelda doesn't look as... how do I put it... royal as the Zelda I know."

"Ironic since this Zelda is the goddess Hylia." Link says as he puts the picture back. He looks at the door. "Is his room here?"

I nod.

"Can we see it?" He asks.

"Sure." I lead them downstairs. We open the door to Link's room. It looks the same, but once again, it's much more empty than it once was.

Link walks around slowly. This must be so strange for him, walking through a room that once belonged to him, just in a different life. He opens the closet, which still has a few articles in it, and then goes over to the bed. A letter sits on it. He picks it up.

He looks up to me. "Do you think it'd be okay to open it? Since he's been gone for thousands of years."

I look at Sheik. He shrugs. "Yeah, I think so."

Link opens it and starts to read. He raises an eyebrow. After a few minutes he hands it to me. "It was addressed to me."

I raise an eyebrow too. I start reading it, and Sheik and Navi read it over my shoulder.

_Link,_

_Even though we've just founded the ground below into our new home, Hyrule, I'm sure you've lived there for centuries. But, now that you're reading this, it must be once again in danger, and you've been called upon to save it from evil. _

_I'm sorry for the fate that's been forced upon you. I'm afraid you've inherited it from me._

_When I defeated Demise, the evil Demon King, he put a curse upon mine and Zelda's descendents. He promised that he would be born anew to plague them. At first I didn't understand it. But now I do.  
_

_Zelda just told me about something about our future, something she decided when she was the goddess Hylia. Hyrule will be in danger many, many more times in the future. And it will need a hero to vanquish the evil again and again. That's where Demise's promise comes in, or as you know him, Ganondorf. Me, Zelda and Demise will be reincarnated. I am you. We are the same, just in different times.  
_

_Zelda told me that we will be born again numerous times throughout the centuries. But I write this to you in particular. Zelda also told me that one day, centuries from now, one of my reincarnations, you, will come to Skyloft. You will have to go through the Silent Realm to retrieve items to save your present day Hyrule. I know exactly what you search for, and who left it there, once again Zelda told me, but she has asked me to keep it a secret from you. You'll find out soon enough._

_The Silent Realm is a daunting place. You'll need to be careful. Just be thankful you don't have I time limit, like I did when I went through._

_It's been many years since I defeated Demise. I've married Zelda, and we live happily in the town we've named Farona. I believe you now know the area as Ordon Village. But I can still recall the countless times I almost died like it was yesterday. I know how hard it will be, and I'm sorry you have to go through it. But if you really are me, you'll be able to do it. I'm writing this because I want to give you some advice._

_Keep her safe. Even though you think nothing bad can happen to her, she can be snatched right out from underneath you. But I think you already know that._

_And be strong. It'll be over soon, you just have to show your enemies that you're stronger than they think._

_You can do it._

_~Link_

Wow. So Link knew that he was going to reincarnated. That would be so weird.

"She? She who?" Sheik asks after he finishes the letter. "Is he talking about Zelda?"

"I think he's talking about Nicky." Link answers looking at the books on the desk. "Zelda's already been snatched right out from under us. And Nicky has been kidnapped already, so it would make sense."

It would. So he and Zelda knew about me? That's both cool and weird.

"So, where to next?" Navi asks from her perch on my shoulder.

I look at Link.

He looks grim and determined when he answers. "The Silent Realm."


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey all! I just wanted to say thank you all for the fantastic reviews and all of your support! Kyle, thanks sooo much for your review! It means so much to me that you like my story! And to answer your question, and anyone else's who hasn't played Skyward Sword, the Silent Realm is a kind of alternate realm that Link has to go to to prove himself worthy and strengthen his spirit. There are four, one in Faron Woods, one in Eldin Volcano, one in Lanayru Desert and a final one in Skyloft. He has to collect Tears of light that help his spirit grow, so he can become a true hero. He can't go inside buildings or use any of his weapons, or go off of Skyloft. He has a 90 second time limit between each Tear, if he doesn't make it in time to the next on, steps in Waking Water, or gets to close to a Watcher, he wakes the Guardians. If one gets to him, he fails and has to start all over. It stinks and is actually pretty scary! Hope that clears things up! Thank you!**

Chapter Thirteen

The four of us stand nervously in front of the Trail Gate. I really, really don't want to do this. Link walks to the center of the gate and unsheathes his sword. Me, Sheik and Navi all head over to stand by him.

"Just like this?" He asks as he lifts the sword. We all nod. He thrusts it into the middle.

A bright flash of light explodes around us and I feel like I'm disintegrating, then being pulled back together. Suddenly, we stand in a different Skyloft than before. Everything is tinted blue, and it feels as if there's no air. But I can breathe. Small sparkles, almost like fireflies, float through the air. I look down at myself expecting to see my body as transparent and sparkly, but it only looks a little blue. Oh, right, we're still in our bodies and if the Guardians kill us we're dead, literately. Joy.

It's absolutely silent, save some strange ringing that echos in my ears. Where is that coming from? I look around, searching for the source. Then I see the Watchers.

They're like little ghosts with lanterns. That's where the ringing is coming from, they shake their lanterns as the float. Waking Water now fills the waterfall, and I remember it's somewhere over in the Residential Quarters. I see a Guardian. It's one of the ones that fly and looks similar to a monkey. And it's ginormous, at least eight feet tall. We wake up one of those and we're dead.

But the strangest part of it all is that the Statue of the Goddess stands where it used to. I guess things don't change much in here.

"Is that the Statue of the Goddess?" Sheik asks, his voice oddly echoing.

"Yes." I reply, my voice the same way.

Link's about to walk out of the circle but stops when we hear a voice, I recognize it as Farore.

"Heroes," She says in the echo voice. "Be cautioned. When you step out of the circle you will awaken the guardians. To put them back to rest, you must make it to the Statue of the Goddess. There you will be introduced to your quest in this realm. As you can see, your weapons do not follow you here. You must survive with stealth. If ever you wake a Guardian, at least one of you must run back to the Statue. It will deactivate them. No go, and meet the first."

We have to run all the way back to the Statue? This is not going to be fun at all. And what does she mean by "go meet the first"?

Sheik walks up to where Link is, and Navi flies under Link's hat. Scaredy Cat.

Link turns around to face me. He takes my hand. "Ready?"

I'm shaking, but I give him the best smile I can manage and nod my head.

We step out of the circle.

Everything changes from being tinted blue to orange, even the sky. The Watchers disappear and the Guardians lift their heads, revealing their glowing eyes. A pounding fills the air that matches my racing heart.

"Run!" I yell.

Link takes a firmer hold of my hand and we start running to the Statue. We dash through a Bazaar, narrowly missing a Guardian who tries to bring down his giant club. We race up the stairs, dodging the flying ones who start to surround us. But then I trip, and get my foot caught in the old wooden boards of the stairs. Link stops and tries to help me up, but with all the Guardians floating around us it's hard for him to concentrate. Then one steps up behind him, raising it's club to pound us both.

"Link!" I scream.

Link sees the Guardian and then tries to shield from the blow that never comes. I hold on to him tightly for a minute, but then I realize that the deafening pounding has stopped. I open my eyes and see that Skyloft has turned blue again, and that the Guardians have gone back to their original positions. Sheik. I forgot that Sheik was in front of us. He must have reached the entrance to the Statue. I close my eyes again and hug Link tight. Thank heavens.

Link lets me go and smiles in relief. "Well, that was fun."

I laugh shakily.

Sheik runs down to us. "If that was only our first meet up with them, I'll be surprised if we make it out of here alive."

"Me too." Link says as he helps me get my leg out of the boards. "Thanks by the way."

"No problem, hero."

Navi peeks her head out from under Link's hat. "Just in case you guys were wondering, I'm staying in here! I am not coming out until this is over!" And she disappears.

"Thanks a lot, Navi." Link grumbles.

We walk up to the Statue of the Goddess. I hear music now, it sounds as if it's coming from a harp.

"I can't believe that the original Link did that in a time limit." Link says when we reach the entrance.

"I can't either, when I look back on it. It was pretty hard." Another voice similar to Link's answers from the base of the Statue.

We all look up in shock. A man stands with his back to us, playing a harp. He has on tall boots, slightly baggy tan pants and a green tunic. He also wears a long green hat. Wait, Link?

I look to my side. No, Link is still holding my hand, staring surprised at the man. I look back to the man. But that's Link too. What the heck?

The man turns around, and that's when it really gets weird. He looks almost exactly like Link, maybe a few years older though. Is he?...

He holds his hand out to Link. "Hello, Link. I'm... you."

Link takes his hand in surprise. "You're the Link who wrote the letter?"

Other Link smiles. "You found it? Good, I worried that maybe you wouldn't even go into the Knight Academy. And then after the goddesses made me one of the three chosen heroes, I thought that maybe I should just get rid of it because I'd get to talk to you in person."

"Yeah, we did. Thank you." Poor Link. He looks so confused right now.

"Wait, I thought you were dead." Sheik says, just as confused. "How are you here?"

He smiles again. "Being married to a goddess has it's many perks. Along with the fact that I'm the first Link, so I think I have the right to be one of the three Chosen Heroes. Don't you think?" He turns to me. "So you must be Nicole, am I correct?"

I nod. "Yeah. If you don't mind me asking, how did you and Zelda know about me, but the goddesses didn't?"

He rolls his eyes. "Zelda tried to tell the goddesses that she knew you would come, but all they said was 'Impossible! You must be wrong, Hylia.' But now I don't think they'll ever doubt her again."

"So, Farore mentioned you had a little quest for us." Sheik says.

"Yes, I do." Other Link's face becomes more serious. "As you already know, now that you've collected all of the Sacred Weapons, you now have to prove yourself worthy of the three chosen heroes weapons. Only with all of these can you receive the Ultimate Weapon to defeat Ganondorf."

"Holy cow, how many weapons are there?" Navi asks from under Link's hat.

Other Link laughs. "Too many."

"So I have to prove myself?" Link says in a tired voice. "Don't you think I've already done that more than once? And in tons of different lives. I'm you for heaven's sake, you know what I'm capable of!"

"It's not my decision that you must prove yourself." He replies. "If I'd had my way I'd have just handed it to you. But the goddesses feel the need to make you prove yourself."

I snort "Tell me about it. Just when you think you've completed every temple you possible could they give you a whole new problem."

"Exactly." Other Link agrees. "But I can't complain too much, I'm married to one after all."

"So, you two do get married?" Sheik asks awkwardly.

Other Link smiles sympathetically at him. "Yes, we're quite happy together. And I'm sure you and your Zelda will be the same way."

Sheik smiles back.

"So, what trail do we have to go through to get your weapon?" Link asks nervously. I'm a little nervous too.

"Fly to the Lumpy Pumpkin and retrieve the Heart Container from the top of the chandelier. You'll be granted a Loftwing to get there and back. Then fly to into the Thunderhead and go to the Isle of Songs, bring me back what lies in the chest there. When you get those items, I'll give you my weapon. But you'll have to be careful. There are still Guardians, Watchers and Waking Water everywhere. If you wake a Guardian you'll still need to come back here to the Statue to deactivate them." He looks at us sympathetically. It must be strange for him to be giving us the orders that he once received. Talk about irony.

"Go now, prove yourself worthy. I'll be waiting inside the Statue. When you finish, just go inside. Be careful." Other Link smiles sadly at us and walks inside the Statue


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Link stands next to the edge of Skyloft and stares out into the open sky. "So, how do we call the... what are they called again?"

"Loftwing." I reply, walking over to stand next to him. "You have to run of the edge and whistle for them. But since each person in Skyloft had their own Loftwing the bird answered to that person's specific whistle, so I don't exactly know if they'll answer."

"Well," Sheik says as he stands next to us. "It's either we stay here and get beaten by a Guardian or we fall to our death in a different realm. So either way we die. I vote falling, at least it'll be without the pounding. Wait, do you think if we fall here, there's even going to be a ground?"

"Is there any way that doesn't involve certain death?" Navi grumbles from under Link's hat.

"Only one way to find out." Link takes a deep breath and jumps off the edge of Skyloft.

I hold my breath as he whistles. Nothing. There's no Loftwing.

Another few seconds pass, it's been to long.

I'm about to look over the edge and yell down to him in a panic when he appears on the back of a crimson Loftwing, whooping and laughing. I smile in relief.

"Well, I guess it's safe to jump." Sheik jumps after Link and whistles. The blue Loftwing picks him up.

I teeter at the edge. I'm afraid to jump, even though I know the Loftwing will catch me. But the two boys are already flying, and they have no idea where the Lumpy Pumpkin is, or even what it is, so I jump and whistle.

For a second, I'm weightless and there's nothing but clouds. Then the yellow Loftwing is underneath me and I'm neck-in-neck with Link and Sheik.

"So, where do we need to go?" Link shouts.

"You see that island with the ginormous pumpkin?" I yell back. "That's the Lumpy Pumpkin."

Link nods and steers his bird there. He's a pro at this. Sheik and I struggle for a bit, but then we get going in the direction of the island.

For a second I panic, because I'm used to Link dropping off from his Loftwing and using Zelda's sailcloth to land. We don't have that. But the birds land and let us off. I guess Link was the only one who dropped from a thousand feet to land.

I stare at the huge pumpkin in front of me. I always though that it was a bit weird that they built a giant pumpkin and named it the Lumpy Pumpkin for their big awesome city dinar. But, pumpkins are pretty common Zelda games, so it makes sense.

"Get down!" Link suddenly tugs on me and pulls me to the ground. I'm about to ask why when a Watcher clangs noisily around the corner. The light of the lantern only misses us because we're crouched down. We would have summoned the Guardians. That was close.

When the Watcher leaves we get up cautiously and walk to the front door. A huge Guardian stands next to it, but it's open. As we go inside, I'm aware that there are even Watchers inside. How are we going to get up to the chandelier with Watchers around every corner?

We run into the kitchen and peak up over the side. I take it back. They aren't around ever corner, they're in every square inch of the place. It's like they all decided to throw a party in here. There's no way we can make it up there! And there are at least five Guardians in there.

"So how do we get it down now?" Sheik asks, eying the Watchers.

"In the game, Link rolls into the second floor railing twice and it comes crashing down." I reply.

"But now we can't get up there." Link says.

"Why didn't he just use one of his weapons to get it down?" Navi asks from under the hat.

"You couldn't take them out in the game. I don't know why he didn't use them in real life."

"I get the feeling it's because of that sign." Sheik says, pointing to an old sign that hangs right next to the door to go in.

**_NO WEAPONS ALLOWED!_**

**_ALL WEAPONS WILL BE CONFISCATED,_**

**_AND NOT GIVEN BACK ANY TIME SOON!_**

"Yeah," Link agrees after reading it. "That's probably why."

An idea comes to me. "Hey, Link?"

"Yeah?"

"Since your Sacred Weapons are stored in the Sacred Realm, can you summon them?"

His eyebrows go up in surprise. "I don't think so, but I could try."

He closes his eyes for a minute. All of the sudden the Clawshot materializes in his hands. He stares at it in surprise. "I thought Link said that I couldn't use weapons."

Shiek looks surprised too. "I guess he only meant your sword and shield."

"Guess so." He aims up at the Heart Container and lets it go. The Clawshot grabs it's target and brings it flying back to us.

Link admires the Heart Container. "These things always contain potions and rupees."

"It's not fair that in the game you only get a Piece of Heart." I say, gazing at the crystal container.

Link makes a face. "I hate it when they're broken like that. I just means that I have absolutely nothing to gain from them."

I laugh a little. "In the games when you get a full Heart Container you get more life, so a Piece of Heart is actually pretty good. If you collect four of them, you get a full Heart Container and get more life."

"What?" Link cries. "That's so unfair! They're absolutely useless to me when it's only a piece!"

"Link, they're crystal! Crystal's worth money! Even if they don't give you more resistance to dieing you can get some rupees from them, I'm sure."

He shakes his head. "Maybe in your world, but here people find them all the time. They're left by the goddesses and really pretty common. They're stupid when they're broken, it means they've been opened and are now worthless."

"Hey guys?" Sheik asks staring into the dinar. "I hate to interrupt, but we're in trouble."

"What do you mean?" Link says whipping around. Both of us get a little startled. The Watchers have gotten closer, sensing that we're here. As one they float towards us, their lantern's light skimming Link's arm. He jumps back.

"We need to get out of here!" He yells. We make a beeline for the door.

When we step out of the door, we all gasp a bit. There are even more Watchers out side. How are we going to get off of this island?

Then there's an opening between them. We take advantage of it. We run through them, all of them simultaneously jingling in our direction and trying to follow us, but we're gone and flying our Loftwings before they get a chance to call the Guardians.

"Next up," Sheik yells from his perch on his Loftwing. "The Isle of Songs, right?"

~X~

We fly into the Thunderhead. And my first reaction is yikes.

Instead of Skytails flying around there are Watchers. Everywhere. We dodge them best we can, but it's hard. Many of them jingle earnestly at us. They sense us.

Somehow we make it to the Isle of Songs. Its really pretty, and even more ancient than Skyloft. Our Loftwings drop us off and we walk across the walkway leading to the large, cylinder looking stone building. We shimmy our way through the small hole that's just barely big enough for Link to get in if he was fully equipped with his shield and the Master Sword. But when we get inside, we stop in our tracks.

There's only a narrow pathway suspended in thin air that ends with a chest, I'm guessing the one Other Link wants us to get, and the Triforce with bird feathers behind it. The symbol on the _Skyward Sword_ game. The pathway has no railings, if we make a misstep then it's down into pitch blackness, I can't see the bottom. But in our path stands a sleeping Guardian and a Watcher. And it senses us.

"Shek," Link whispers suddenly as we back away from them. "Go back to Skyloft and get to the Statue. The only way to get to the chest is to pass the Watcher and wake the Guardians. When they wake up, deactivate them. We'll wait a few minutes for you to get there."

Sheik reacts instantly. "I'll be quick." He shimmies back out.

But Link's plan goes bad quickly, though. The Watcher still know we're here. A few minutes after Sheik leaves, before we can get out the small hole the light from it's lantern hits my shoe. It jingles with excitement, and for a minute the whole world is silent and still. Then it folds in on itself, and the world becomes tinted with orange. Pounding so forceful I can feel the vibrations rattle my chest fills my ears. And the Guardian's head snaps up, it's eyes glowing. Link pushes me out into the hole, and I get out as fast as I can. He follows after, the Guardian's sword barely misses his foot. We run across the walkway, but stop short because of the Guardians that stare viciously at us with those glowing eyes. Link reaches for his sword, but it's not there. We're done for.

He closes his eyes. "I can't get my weapons." He says in a panicked voice.

We back up, until we're presses up against the building. I close my eyes and bury my face in Link's tunic. I wish I could say goodbye to Mom, Dad and David.

As the Guardian brings down his club, Link suddenly twists us so the weapon misses us by centimeters. We run pass them, trying to buy more time. What's taking Sheik so long? Did he get hit by a Guardian?

But as we run, Guardians flying down on us, trying to get a hit, they all freeze. Then they disapear and the world returns to normal. Or, at least, the tinted blue and ringing silence normal of the Silent Realm. I breath out a sigh. That was too close. Link sighs too.

We hurry back into the Isle of Songs. The Watcher and Guardian are now both gone, repositioned. Link runs over to the chest and opens it. A light shines from it. I walk over to it too.

Inside lies a Goddess Plume. They're supposed to be extremely rare, dropped by the goddess herself. When Link asks what it is, I explain it to him.

"I guess Zelda wants it back." He says as he carefully picks it up and drops it in his pouch. We exit the building just as Sheik runs up to it.

"Oh, thank heavens!" Sheik says as he stops in front of us. "I was worried I took too long. Those flying Guardians started trailing me."

Link smiles at him. "You cut it close, but we got it." He holds us the Goddess Plume. "Let's get back to Skyloft and deliver these to Link."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

We soar back to Skyloft, careful to avoid the Watchers. The _last _thing we need is to summon the Guardians and die right before finishing this.

The Loftwings let us off in front of the Statue of the Goddess. This is the only area that has no Guardians or Watchers or Waking Water. I guess it's because of the Statue.

We walk into the Statue, and hear Other Link playing his harp. In here, there isn't a blue tint. It looks exactly like it would outside of the Silent Realm. I guess the Statue isn't affected here. When he hears us he turns around, looking relieved.

"Good, you're all okay. I heard the Guardians wake up, but it seems you got the better of them. Did you get the items?"

Link hands him the Heart Container and the Goddess Plume.

Other Link smiles. "Zelda will be happy to have another one of these stones, the goddesses use them to make rainbows, as corny as that sounds."

"What about the Heart Container?" Link says.

"Keep it," Other Link replies. "I have no need for it, technically I'm dead. You can use it on your journey."

"Thanks." Link says as he puts it back into his pouch.

"Just a quick question." Navi says, coming out of Link's hat. "How was Link able to get the Clawshot? Farore said he couldn't use weapons."

Other Link looks at us for a second as if the answer's obviously. Then he gets a look of understanding on his face. "You don't know what this place is, do you?"

We look at him, confused. "The Silent Realm." Sheik says.

Other Link turns to me. "You remember in the video game of this, the last time I entered the Silent Realm to obtain the last piece of the Triforce?" I nod. "And how it turned golden at my leave?" Oh yeah, I'd almost forgotten that. "Why do you think it did that?"

I think for a second. Because the Triforce had been taken out of it? Because it was Link's last visit? I read some theories online that the Silent Realm is really the Sacred Realm, since the Triforce was kept there...

Hey...

I look at him, surprised. "_This _is the Sacred Realm, isn't it?" He nods.

That is so cool!

"Wait," Says a surprised Link. "What do you mean this is the Sacred Realm? I thought this was the Silent Realm?"

"It is," Other Link explains. "I know, it's confusing. When a person must prove himself worthy of hero, they change this place to the Silent Realm. It first became the Silent Realm when a 17 year old me first went through it in Faron Woods. No one's gone through it again since I went through it last to get the Triforce. But, since you, Link, needed to prove yourself to the goddesses as well, they turned it into the Silent Realm once again."

"We just _had_ to go through it when it's the bad, scary place." Navi grumbles as she flies back under Link's hat.

Other Link smiles sadly. "This is actually a gorgeous place when it's the Sacred Realm. You'd love it." He clears his throat. "Now then, your reward." He hands Link his harp. "The Goddess's Harp. Zelda gave it to me when I was on my quest, and now I give it to you."

Link takes it gingerly. "It's beautiful. Thank you."

Navi flutters out of his hat again. "You're kidding me right? A harp? That's it? I was expecting like this amazing ancient ninja weapon, not a harp!"

Other Link laughs. "Hey, that harp is actually very valuable. Without it, you can't enter the Dark Castle, or your last two trails. And without me you wouldn't have the Master Sword, so I really gave you two weapons."

"What do you mean?" Link asks.

"Well, when I went on my quest, part of it was making the sword."

Link looks at him in surprise. "You made the Master Sword?"

"Yes. When I found it, it was just the Goddess Sword. But after tempering it with three Sacred Flames and Zelda blessing it, it became the Master Sword. So, your welcome for that."

Navi flies back under Link's hat.

"Your fairy friend is very amusing." Other Link laughs.

A thought comes to me. "Is Fi still in the Master Sword?"

Other Link nods his head sadly. "Yes, she still resides there, in eternal sleep. In a way, she did fulfill her wish to meet me again in another life, through all the other Link's that have wielded the Master Sword. Though they weren't me exactly, they were a reincarnation of me, so technically, she has met me again various times. And I'm allowed to have communication with her from the Sacred Realm, so we did meet again, just not physically."

Link looks surprised again. "I have a sleeping spirit in my sword?"

"Fi, my companion." Other Link answers. "She's much like Navi. Hylia sent her to me to aid me. She fell dormant when I put the Master Sword back in it's pedestal."

Link unsheathes the Master Sword and examines it.

"Now then, I'm also supposed to tell you the location of the next Chosen Hero." Other Link says, clearing his throat. "Go to the Temple of Time in Castletown. He awaits you there."

"Castletown?" Sheik asks. "But that's the whole reason we're getting these weapons, we _can't _get into Castletown."

"That's why you need the Goddess's Harp." Other Link explains. "First, go to the Kokiri's Forest. Play the harp in front of the Great Deku Tree. With the power of the harp, he'll be able to send you to the temple, but only the temple."

Suddenly a huge golden Triforce appears behind him. He smiles at us all. "I'll wish you good luck, you'll need it. Be brave, heroes." He walks over to the Triforce. I notice the silhouette of a women standing before it. Other Link gets down on one knee and bows his head to her. She smiles at him. And I know who it is, it's Zelda.

The Silent Realm turns golden, and then I feel the same disintegrating and materializing that happened when we entered the Silent Realm. When it's over, the world looks normal again, sunlight streams into the room. And the huge Triforce is gone, along with Other Link and Zelda.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

We left Skyloft about three days ago, and are now about 15 minutes away from the Great Deku Tree. Me and Link (Navi sleeping under his hat, as always) ride on Epona, and Sheik rides his horse a few feet in front of us. Link says he's considering me a close friend now, because he doesn't wear his scarf and acts himself around me. I'm glad, he's a nice guy.

Sheik put his scarf back on when we got about an hour away. I don't know why he doesn't want people to see his face, it's not like he's the Phantom of the Opera, he's actually pretty good looking. It must have something to do with him being Sheikah.

When I ask Link about it, my suspicions are confirmed. "All of the Sheikah do it, I'm not really sure why. It's just what they do. They're a secretive people, that is, until you get to know them. Then they're just like anyone else, just very good at hiding their emotions. Some of the Hylians are a little against Sheik and Zelda getting married, since Sheik will become the next king. But he'll win them over, if he learns to be himself in front of other people and take off that stupid scarf of his."

When I look at him something nags at the back of my mind, that there's something wrong with his appearance. But about ten minutes away from the Great Deku Tree, it hits me.

"Hey Sheik, turn around."

He turns around, looking a little confused. "Why?"

That's it. It's his eyes. "Your eyes are blue, like Link's."

He shrugs. "Yeah, last time I checked."

"They're crimson in the game."

He makes a face. "Crimson? That's like, evil."

It's my turn to shrug. "It looks awesome in the game, you're like a ninja, disappearing by those Deku Nuts. That's what makes you one of the most famous Zelda characters, even though you've only appeared in one game. It was just bothering me that something looked off about you. Now I know."

He shakes his head. "I have red eyes, I'm a Sheikah ninja and I'm Zelda. I swear, whoever created me is an absolute _idiot_."

Link laughs. "You do use those Deku Nuts from time to time though."

Then we're in front of the Great Deku Tree. "Hero chosen by the goddesses, how art thou?"

"Fine, Great Deku Tree." Link yells up to him.

"Thou brings the girl and another, a Sheikah, the future king."

Sheik looks a little surprised that the tree knows about him and Zelda.

"Yes, I do." Link says.

"I know why thou art here, thou seeks access to the Temple of Time, to speak to the second Chosen Hero. Thou must play the Goddess's Harp, with the power of the harp, I will be able to send thee to the temple."

Link takes out the harp. "But what song do I play?"

"It does not matter, Hero. Simply strum."

Link shrugs and begins to play the harp. The sound is really beautiful, Link's good at playing it. After a few moments, the Great Deku Tree shudders, and a golden Triforce gateway appears.

"This is the gate that will give you access to the Temple of Time. The second Hero awaits you there. Good luck heroes." The Great Deku Tree rumbles.

We all hesitate for a bit. Link is the first one to go through, followed by Sheik, and then me. It's like walking through a glittering furnace, it's as hot as Disneyland in July. Then, I'm standing next to Sheik and Link, inside the Temple of Time.

~X~

The Temple of Time is built with white stone, and it's really beautiful. It's old, but not anywhere as ancient as anything in Skyloft. A flute plays a pretty song. No, not a flute, an Ocarina. The music stops.

"Good, you came." A friendly voice says.

We look over to the source. A 17 year old boy stands before us, a mischievous, but friendly, crooked smile on his face. He has slightly lighter blond hair, and his outfit's a little bit different, and his nose it a bit more pointy, but it's another Link. Of course he would be one of the Chosen Heroes, he's one of the most famous Links, if not the most famous. It's _Ocarina of Time_ Link.

Link takes a deep breath. "So, you're another me?"

Other Link (I'm just going to call all the other Link's that) smiles again. "Yep. Sorry, this must be kind of strange for you, seeing two different versions of yourself, huh?"

Link laughs. "Yeah, just a little bit."

He turns to Sheik, and he laughs a little. "You look a little different than you did in my time."

"Are you the Link that knew me in the life when I was a red eyed ninja girl?" Sheik asks.

Other Link laughs again. "Yeah, you did remind me of a ninja. It must be even stranger for you, to find out that you're the girl you're in love with."

It's Sheik's turn to laugh. "You have no idea."

Other Link now turns to me. "And you're in a video game."

"Yeah, I can barely believe it either." I smile at him.

Navi flies out of Link's hat, yawning. "Are we there yet?"

Other Link's grin gets bigger when he sees her. "Navi!"

She looks at him, confused. "You know me?"

"No, not technically. My fairy companion was named Navi too, she was exactly like you."

She looks surprised. "_I'm_ a reincarnation to?"

"Yep." Other Link says cheerily.

"You're different than the other Link." Sheik says, examining Other Link.

"Just because we're reincarnations, doesn't mean we all have the same personalities." Other Link shrugs. "We just look the same and have the same mission in life. That Link was the first one and like, 24 or something, don't know why he chose to appear so old. Your Link is a 17 year old."

"And you're not?" Link asks.

"Not technically. I'm literally a 10 year old stuck in a 17 year old's body. I was a lot more mature when I went on my quest, I actually acted like an adult, but now that I can just roam around the Sacred Realm, as a Chosen Hero, I like to act my age."

"But you went back in time after you defeated Ganon," I say. "You grew up. You should be an actual 17 year old."

He shrugs. "The goddesses made me back into the Hero of Time. I can't complain, I'm pretty good. I did grow old and die, but now I'm a 17 year old and a 10 year old all at once. It's awesome!"

"So, what about our quest?" Navi asks, fluttering around Link.

"Oh, it's not _your_ quest, it's _Link's_ quest." Other Link says, becoming a bit more serious. "You were allowed to accompany him in the Silent Realm, but this is for Link specifically. You can watch, but you can't fight this battle with him. I'm sorry, but that's just the way the goddesses want it."

"What does he have to fight?" I ask.

"Me. Well not me, but something like me." He answers.

Oh no, does that mean what I think it means? Because if it does, Link's in trouble.

"Do I know what it is?" I ask him.

Other Link nods. "Yep."

Of course I do.

"This enemy will be extremely difficult." Other Link says. "I almost died fighting him, I'm sorry you have to fight him too." He turns to me, Sheik and Navi. "You won't be able to physically help Link fight, these are, after all, his quests. But you will be able to talk to one another. Nicole, give him as much insight to the enemy as you can, since you've fought him before. And Sheik, I'm sure you can help with some moves to take him down. Navi, just cheer him on, you're good at that." He gives Link that crooked smile, but it's a little bit sadder this time. "Good luck, Link." He puts the Ocarina to his lips and starts to play a song. He disappears and me, Sheik and Navi get trapped behind an invisible barrier, leaving Link alone in the center of the room. We pound on the barrier as hard as we can, but it doesn't budge.

Link looks around, startled and confused.

"Link!" I yell. He turns to face me.

"What's happening?" He shouts back. His voice sounds muffled.

"Link, I know what you're going to fight! He's going to copy every move you make. Do you have a hammer?"

"Why would I need a hammer?" He asks, taking out the Master Sword and his shield.

"Because that's how you beat him in the game, because he knows every move you're going to make with your sword!"

"But who the heck am I fighting Nicky?"

"_Me._" A deep, ringing voice echoes throughout the room.

Link whirls around to face himself. A shadow of himself really. This Link is completely black, from his sword, to his tunic, even his face. He has glowing red eyes, and a psychotic grin on his face. He's evil, the exact opposite of Link.

"What the...?" Link looks even more surprised than he did before. "Is that... me?"

"Yeah." I answer. "Dark Link."


	17. Chapter 17

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, it means so much to me! Special thanks to LolliepopGirlie, that was such a nice review! I'm glad that it was my story you clicked on, and I hope you got your info on Link! Thanks all!  
**

Chapter Seventeen

~Link's POV~

It's me.

It's an evil, black, psychotic me.

He grins at me with that unnerving smile, his eyes glow red. He's not human, he can't be.

"Yeah," Nicky yells, her voice muffled. "Dark Link."

Dark Link? That can't be good.

"What is he?" I ask. Dark Link steps closer and unsheathes his own black Master Sword.

"A boss in _Ocarina of Time_. Other Link had to fight him in the Water Temple." Nicky answers.

"Great." I say.

I attack, but he blocks. I attack again. He blocks again. We do the same thing several more times. What on earth? It's like he knows what I'm going to do before I do it.

He's a mirror. A black mirror.

"You can't do that, Link!" Nicky yells. "He copies every move you make. You can't use the Master Sword to fight him."

She's right. Neither of us are landing a hit. It's like hitting a brick wall.

"What do I use then?"

"The bow and arrows!" Sheik yells.

I put away the Master Sword and concentrate. In my mind I reach into the Sacred Realm and grab the bow and arrows. I feel them in my hands and open my eyes. I aim at Dark Link, and let go of the arrow. It sails straight into his heart. He looks down at it calmly, sinks to his knees and pulls it out. Then he crumples. Dead.

I shudder. That was like killing myself.

But then I smile and run over to my friends. "That was easy."

Nicky looks concerned. "Yeah, a little too easy. It was pretty hard to defeat him in the game, he's famous for it."

Sheik shrugs. "Hey, it's over. Why complain?"

Nicky smiles at me. "He's right, good job."

I smile back. Navi flies over to sit on my shoulder, but she hits face first into the invisible wall.

"Why the heck is that still there?!" She yells, holding her nose.

Sheik hits the wall with the palm of his hand. "Shouldn't that have gone away when you killed him?"

"Yeah." I say, surprised.

"Then that means..." Nicky's eyes widen as she looks over my shoulder. "Link!"

I take out my sword and barely manage to keep Dark Link from cutting me in half.

"_Stupid hero._" He hisses. "_Did you really think you could kill me with that stupid little bow of yours? __And they call you the chosen hero?__ You're pathetic. You're an idiot._" Okay, it's official, I hate him.

I don't have a choice, I have to use the Master Sword. So we start trying to kill each other. But we block every move, counter every strike, we can't land a blow. This is beyond frustrating!

"Link, be careful!" Navi yells.

The fight lasts longer than I thought it would. 15 minutes later, we're still fighting, and I'm starting to wear out. But Dark Link's not remotely tired. That just makes me more frustrated, which makes me fight harder, which makes me wear out more. I'm losing.

"_You're weak._" Dark Link whispers. "_You're nothing._"

"Would you please be quite?!" I yell at him as I take another swing.

Ten minutes later, I honestly think I'm going to collapse. I'm sweating and I'm getting slower. Dark Link still hits with as much force as before.

"Keep on going Link! You can do this!" Sheik yells encouragingly.

Dark Link finds a hole in my defense. He hits my arm, and I cry out in pain, dropping my sword. I feel warm blood spill out of the wound, staining my sleeve and dripping onto the floor. It's not fatal, but it hurts.

"Don't you dare quit Link, don't you dare! You've come so far!" Navi screams.

I fall on my knees, clutching my arm, my blood staining my hands. It hurts, really bad. Dark Link stands over me, laughing. I'm going to die at the hands of myself. He lifts his sword up, ready to kill me. I'm so exhausted, I can't even lift my head up, and my new arm wound isn't helping. I brace myself for the impact, ready to die. But Nicole's scream suddenly registers in my head.

"Link! Get up! You can't die! Please, get up!"

The desperation in her voice is heartbreaking. I can hear her and Navi crying, and Sheik's trying to break the barrier.

I take a deep breath. I can't give up. I'm a hero. I'm supposed to defeat Ganondorf. It's my responsibility, and I will carry it out. I am not going to die here.

Just before Dark Link can brings his sword down on me, I grab the Master Sword and block him. It surprises him, and he stumbles. I take advantage of it, and I hit him as hard as I can, numerous times. Sudden strength rushes through my body, temporarily making me forget the pain in my arm.

I am a hero. I am _not_ going to die.

"Yes!" Sheik yells.

This time, I'm finding gaps in his defense. I hit him on the arm. Then I hit him in the leg, and he crumples. I hit his other arm too. I stand over him, and he looks at me with malice in his eyes.

"_You're going to kill me, hero?_" He asks, his voice dripping with hate. He laughs viciously. "_You don't have it in you._"

"Be quite." I growl. Then I drive the sword through his stomach. He gasps, and clutches it. This time, he looks at it in disbelief.

"_No..._" He whispers. "_This isn't... possible..._" Dark red blood seeps into his black tunic, and flows onto the floor. He takes a rattling breath, his last, and slides off my sword. And this time, I know he's dead.

I stare at him for a minute. This is the second person I've killed, and I don't like it any more than I did when I killed Salazar.

But I'm yanked from my thoughts when Nicky tackles me with a hug and tears.

"Oh my gosh, I thought you were going to die! I really thought you were going to die!" She cries into my tunic.

I laugh and hug her back. "So did I." She cries harder, and I hug her tighter.

Navi flies into me, also crying. "You idiot! You complete idiot! You could've died, you do know that right? You're an idiot Link, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

Sheik comes up to me and smiles, relieved. "You cut it a little too close there, hero."

I smile and shrug. "It's just what I do."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

~Normal POV~

I clutch Link and cry. He holds me, but I can tell that he's weak from that wound.

That was way too close.

We watched him as he fought Dark Link. The invisible wall was like the air in front of us had condensed, it was a solid wall. Navi tried some fairy magic on the wall, but to no avail. Sheik almost went insane trying to break the barrier and help Link. I helped him pound as hard as we could, but it was like trying to move a mountain. And when Dark Link hit him in the arm, I really thought he was going to die. He looked so weak and tired, combined with his bleeding arm. It was so sad to see him like that, defeated. But despite it all, he picked up his sword and fought back. Like a hero. And he's still alive.

I pull myself together, pull back and smile at him. "You scared me so bad."

He smiles tiredly. "Sorry." He grimaces and grabs his arm. He's a little wobbly, he looks like he's going to fall over.

"Link, are you okay?" Sheik says grabbing his good shoulder to steady him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He says, attempting to smile. "I'm just so tired that I can barely stand and suffering blood loss. And my arm _kills,_ but other than that, I'm fine."

"We need to do something about that arm." Navi says.

Link leans heavily on Sheik as he walks him over to sit on the altar. It's only a few feet, but Link's forehead is already beaded with sweat. Navi lands on his shoulder and looks at him in concern.

"Here, I'll look at it." I offer. There are perks to having both of your parents work at a hospital when someone has a huge gash in their arm. Sheik hands me some water from Link's pouch to clean it a little.

I peel his sleeve away from the wound, and then suck in a breath. It's really bad, Dark Link got a good hit. He cut into the Deltoid, it's about three inches long, and cut all the way to the bone. Needless to say, it's bleeding freely.

"How bad is it?" Link asks through his pain.

"I hate to say it," I say. "But it's pretty bad." I pour a little of the water on it and he bits his lip to stop from crying out, but a groan of pain still escapes him. "Sorry."

I clean it, and it looks a little bit better, but not by much. "You're going to need stitches Link."

He looks at me in confusion. "Stitches?"

"Yeah, they help the wound seal up. I guess they only have them in my world."

"Yeah." Link nods. "But I don't think I'll need them." It's my turn to look at him in confusion. "Sheik, I have a potion in my pouch, could you get it?"

Oh, I'm such an idiot. I totally forgot about those.

"I guess you don't have these in your world?" Sheik asks as he hands the red potion to Link.

"No, we have medicine, which is similar to potions and stitches. And shots, I hate shots."

Link drinks the potion, and instantly a little of the color returns to his face. The wound closes a little. "That feels better." He says in relief. "I don't know what I would do without these." He turns to me and smiles thankfully. "Thanks, it felt better after you cleaned it."

I laugh. "You didn't really need it. But you're welcome anyways."

"You did a great job." Other Link says, appearing out of nowhere. "Better than me, that's for sure."

Link laughs. "Really? Are you sure you watched it?"

Other Link frowns a little. Reliving his own fight with Dark Link, I'm sure. "Yeah, I watched it. You did a lot better than me, I lasted five minutes, and it took a fairy to heal my wounds. You lasted a good 30 minutes, only took a hit to the shoulder, although it was nasty, and still managed to defeat him. You did a good job." The crooked smile returns to his face. "I wouldn't have been able to do that as a 10 year old, that's for sure."

"I thought you said you were a 10 year old when you fought him?" Navi asks.

"Yeah, I was. But at the same time, I felt a whole lot more mature than a 10 year old. I don't know, it's hard to explain." He smiles at Link. "Anyway, your reward." He hands Link the Ocarina.

"Seriously?" Navi asks incredulously. "Another instrument?"

"Not just any instrument." Other Link says. "It's the instrument that made me famous, that made me a hero and helped me fulfill my destiny. The Ocarina of Time."

Link looks at the Ocarina with wides eyes. "You're kidding. _The_ Ocarina of Time?"

Other Link nods. "Yep." Link holds it with gingerly, as if it might break just by holding it to hard.

"So, we can go back in time, and into the future?" Sheik says, excitement laced in his voice.

Other Link laughs. "Nope, sorry, just to help you get into the Dark Castle. And to get to the next Chosen Hero."

And I know who it is. I think...

"I think I know who it is, I'm seeing a little pattern here." I say.

Other Link smiles. "Maybe. He's waiting for you in the Gerudo Desert, in Arbiter's Grounds."

Sheik looks surprised. "The old prison? It's been abandoned for hundreds of years, why there?"

Other Link shrugs. "You'll see." He smiles at all of us. "Good luck. Especially with your next trail. And, just as a little forewarning, it's going to be the most difficult yet."

"More difficult than this?" Link asks, still holding his arm.

"Oh, yeah." He smiles at us again. "Good luck guys!" And then he disappears in thin air.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

We left the Temple of Time via the Ocarina of Time. Other Link came back when he realized he hadn't told us how to leave the Temple of Time and get to Arbiter's Grounds. We can warp anywhere we want using the Song of Time on the Ocarina.

We warp out to Lake Hylia, since Arbiter's Grounds isn't to far from it. I treat Link's wounds (the potion didn't completely heal him), Navi sleeps in Link's hat and Sheik makes dinner. He's a pretty good cook too.

After dinner me and Link are already yawning. I can understand why Link's so tired, but I don't know why I am. I guess it's because I've been crying, I always get tired after I cry. Sheik notices.

"Why don't you two get some sleep? I'll take watch." He offers.

"No," Link starts, but he's interrupted by a yawn.

"Yes." Sheik counters. "You need to recover from that fight, and Nicky's already taken enough watches. I'm fine, I'll do it."

I can tell that he's not going to take no for an answer, so I don't fight him. "Okay, thanks Sheik."

Link sighs. "Fine. Wake me up if anything happens, just because I'm a little hurt doesn't mean I can't still fight."

He smiles. "Yeah, I know."

I get a blanket and settle down a few feet from Link. Within a few minutes, I can feel the tug of sleep. Within another few minutes, I'm asleep.

~Sheik's POV~

I've been scanning the bank for a few hours. As a Sheikah, I'm pretty good at holding still for long amounts of time, the most I've moved is to scratch the back of my hand. My eyes move back and forth over my scarf. I pull it a little tighter.

I miss my Sheikah uniform. I feel strange in my current cloths: boots, pants, and a good shirt. To Link this is a normal outfit, but to me it's uncomfortable. Sure, they're warm, but I'd take my uniform over warmth any day. I finger the sword at my hip. I'm used to using a knife or my hands and feet as weapons, I'm not as good as Link with a sword. Once again, I want my uniform back.

I hear movement to my right, a little behind me. My hand goes down to my sword and I focus on the noise. There it is again. It's intelligent, human. I can tell by the way it moves, cautious and it goes still every time it makes a loud noise. Then I hear a knife being drawn. It's faint, whoever it is is trying hard to be quite, but I hear it. I pull out my sword and attack.

He's ready for me though, I try to hit him a couple of times, but he avoids it with swift, smooth moves. I try again, but this time he blocks it with his hand, and kicks me. He fights like I do when I'm in my Sheikah uniform.

Wait... he is a Sheikah, he wears the same outfit.

And he's not a he, he's a she. Her blue eyes burn over the scarf covering her features.

We fight for a few more minutes, she's definitely a Sheikah, and a good fighter too. But I think I've got the upper hand. That is, until she kicks the sword out of my hand. By then we're a good distance from Link and Nicky, having moved during the fight. She picks up my sword and puts her knife against my throat. I'm trapped. And the ironic thing is, that's the exact move that I usually use to disarm my opponents. I stare daggers at her, and I can feel her smirk. I get a better look at her.

She wears a Sheikah uniform, a scarf wrapped tightly to conceal her face. She has a long blond braid tied down back, and another knife is tied at her hip. She has a golden necklace with a sapphire jewel hanging from her neck, and I stare at it in surprise. I know that necklace. I bought it.

I gave it to her when I proposed to her. Since then she'd never taken it off. The last time I saw her she wore it.

I stare at her eyes, and my heart starts pounding. It couldn't be... she's in the castle. She's trapped. This Sheikahn girl can't be her...

But her eyes. Those are her eyes, I know it. Those are the eyes I fell in love with.

"Zelda?" I whisper, not daring to believe it's actually her.

She stares at me in surprise. But she quickly recovers. "The princess?" She laughs. Oh man, I missed that laugh. "Of course not, she's locked up in the castle. Where have you been?"

"Looking for you." I whisper in disbelief.

"Really?" Her laugh's a little nervous this time. "Do I know you, boy?"

"Kind of."

She presses the knife harder against my neck. "I doubt it. Listen boy, just because I'm a girl, doesn't mean I can't fight. I had an excellent teacher."

"Yeah, me."

She looks at me sceptically. "No, it was... my... good friend."

I realize that she can't see me well enough to recognize me, the moon is facing my back. Also, my outfit is probably throwing her off a little. "Zelda it's me." I take off my scarf.

She stares at me in pure shock and drops the knife in surprise. "Sheik?"

I smile. "Yeah... yeah, it's me."

Zelda stares at me for a second that feels like a year, and then lets out a sob and hugs me tight. "Sheik! I've been looking everywhere for you, ever since I escaped the castle. I thought I'd never find you. I'm so sorry I hit you!"

I don't care that she hit me, all that matters is that she's in my arms. I feel like I'm going to wake up and this is only going to be a dream. I hug her tight, not ever wanting to let go. She's okay. "It's okay, I'm fine, better than fine. Are you hurt? Are you okay?"

She pulls back and looks at me. "I am now." She pulls me to her and kisses me. I never thought I'd be able to kiss her again. My brain melts and I pick her up, twirling her around. I never thought I'd see her again. She laughs and kisses me again. We stay that way for a while, enjoying being in each others' arms again.

"Sheik?" Link yells.

I pull away from Zelda. I guess Link woke up and found me absent. "Yeah, I'm here Link!" I turn and smile at Zelda. "And you'll never guess who I found!"


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

~Link's POV~

I get up, careful not to disturb Nicky, and run over to Sheik. But I slow when I see another person with him, a girl. They laugh and hug, Sheik's scarf lies on the ground. Who is this girl?

But when I get closer I know. I recognize her airy laugh ringing throughout Lake Hylia, and the way she makes Sheik laugh. I stop in my tracks. It couldn't be her... she's trapped in Hyrule Castle, she's Ganondorf's prisoner. But here she is, laughing happily in Sheik's arms. How is this possible?

And my suspicions are enforced when she and Sheik kiss. It is her!

After a few moments she glances in my direction, she has tears in her eyes. "Link!"

"Zelda?" I ask in surprise. The Princess of Hyrule is disguised as a Sheikahn girl, but I still see her in there. Once again I'm reminded of the couple being the same person...

Sheik turns around, his eyes are a little misty too. "Yeah. Can you believe it?"

I laugh and shake my head. "No, but I'm more than relieved to see you."

She walks over to me and hugs me tightly. "So am I. I'm surprised that I made it this far." She looks at both of us. "What are you two doing here? I came because there's a shortcut to the Sheikah's Village around here, Impa wanted me to go there."

Sheik looks at me. "It's a really, really long story."

She shrugs. "I've got nothing but time.

~Normal POV~

Once again, I wake up to voices. Why am I always the last one up? But this time, I realize that it's still night out, and the boys are a little ways away. But there's another voice, a girl, it's not Navi, although I can hear her voice as well. The girl's voice is light and graceful, and her laugh is similar.

I sit up and squint over to where they stand. Is that a Sheikah girl? The girl and Sheik hug, and she laughs as he picks her up and swirls her around.

Link sees me up. "Nicky! You'll never guess who Sheik found!"

I get up and run over to them. Link smiles at me and pulls me over. "It just made our future break in to the castle about ten times easier."

The girl turns to me and smiles, her blue eyes sparkling with happiness. She holds out her hand. "You must be Nicky, is it okay if I call you that?" I blink. She looks like Sheik in _Super Smash Bros_.

I shake her hand and smile back. "Yes. Sorry, I don't know your name."

She laughs. "I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Zelda."

I blink again. "Zelda? Princess Zelda?"

"Yes. I'm sorry for the disguise, but without it I wouldn't have lasted a day, or get out of the castle."

"How did you get out, Zel?" Sheik asks.

"Impa. She snuck me out of the castle through the underground escape tunnel underneath the throne, it runs to the Lost Woods. I disguised myself as a Sheikah, since Sheik taught me how to fight like one. Also," She smiles at Sheik. "It seemed fitting since I'm engaged to one."

I stare at the two of them. It's so weird seeing them together, as two separate people.

Zelda laughs. "It's kind of freaky that I chose this disguise because of mine and Sheik's... relationship in your world, Nicky."

"You know about that?" I ask in surprise.

She nods. "Yes, I know everything. This must be so strange for you, being a world that you thought wasn't real."

"I'm getting used to it." I laugh. "It's got to be even more strange for you to find out that you're actually your fiancé in another world."

She shrugs. "At first, but it's not too bad. I am engaged to him after all." She takes Sheik's hand. He looks beyond happy, being with Zelda again. They both look so happy, that I can't help but smile.

"Well, anyways," Zelda continues. "I hid out in the Lost Woods for a while, until some of Ganondorf's soldiers found me. They didn't recognize me though, I told them my name was Mira, and that I was passing through the woods on my way back to the Sheikah's Village. They asked me, quite hostilely mind you, if I'd seen the princess. I told them yes, she ran through the woods about three days earlier, and that she was disguised as a peasant, and they actually believed me. Then they let me go and went on searching for me. They have no brains at all, I swear. Then I started making my way to Kakariko Village, since it was the closest. I stayed there for about a day to get supplies, and then I set off for the Sheikah's Village, where Impa instructed me to go. She told me there's a shortcut through a cavern here in Lake Hylia, so I was heading there when I saw you guys. I didn't recognize you, since Link was asleep and Sheik has on different cloths than usual, so I got scared that you were sent by Ganondorf to search for me. I knew I couldn't get past you guys when Sheik heard me, so I decided to fight." She smiles smugly at Sheik. "You and Link taught me well enough that I was able to take you out with your own moves. But I really am sorry I hit you so many times, I wouldn't have done it if I'd known it was you."

Sheik smiles and shrugs. "It didn't hurt that bad." She smiles and hugs him tight.

"So, now that we're all together again, and it's getting close to dawn," Link says, staring at the Gerudo's Desert in the distance. "Everyone ready to meet another me?"


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One

We warped to Arbiter's Ground soon after dawn. We stand in the center of it, facing a dusty and broken mirror. Both Sheik and Zelda have wrapped their scarfs around their faces. Navi fluttered close to Link's head, panting in the desert heat when we first got here, but within three minutes she was back under Link's hat and now she's loudly complaining about the heat.

"How do the Gerudos stand this heat? Honestly, it's no wonder this place used to be a prison! The heat alone is punishment!" She yells.

"Along with the fact that they were banished to the Underworld." Sheik says, examining the mirror.

"You mean the Twilight Realm." I say.

"The what?" Link asks.

"The Twilight Realm." I reply. Shouldn't they know that? "You know, _Twilight Princess_ Link had to overcome it."

Link shakes his head. "I've never heard of it. Maybe it was kept a secret? Along with all the other fun stuff I'm learning about my other selves."

"I've actually heard of it." Zelda says. "It's in the scrolls passed down from generation to generation in the Royal Family. Another world bathed in twilight, where the Twili race dwell. Convicts too horrible for Hyrule were sent there as punishment for their evil crimes. Once, Twilight covered Hyrule and nearly overtook us, but the Hero of Light banished the Twilight and the monsters that lived there, and the Mirror of Twilight, which served as a gateway between the worlds, was destroyed." She looks at me. "Is that what you were referring to?"

I nod. "Yeah. That's it exactly."

"I can see why they kept that a secret." Link says.

"Well, there are more details." I say. "Link was actually able to transform into a wolf to fight in Twilight, because he was the chosen hero. He met an imp named Midna, who helped him defeat the Twilight. But Midna actually wasn't an imp, but the Twilight Princess. Zant, the guy who worked for Ganondorf and claimed he was the King of Twilight, transformed Midna into an imp and banished her. But when Zant and Ganondorf where defeated, Midna returned to her true form and returned to Twilight to rule her people, shattering the Mirror of Twilight. It was a pretty sad ending."

"Wow, that wasn't in the scrolls." Zelda says, surprised.

Sheik snorts. "Neither was our ancestors living on a floating island."

"And me being a reincarnation of the Hero of Time, the Hero of Light and any other heroes we don't know about." Link adds.

"In my defense the Ancient Battle and the establishment of Hyrule _is _mentioned, it just didn't mention that they lived in the sky." Zelda says defensively.

"Oh, you guys have _got_ to see the official Zelda timeline," I say. "It'll blow your mind."

Suddenly a growl rings out. A deep, low, kind of scary growl. We all turn around, startled and Navi peaks out from under Link's hat. We're all a little shocked at what we see. A huge wolf creeps out from the shadows, cobalt blue eyes burning with intelligence. He has blue earrings hanging from both ears, something that you definitely don't see on your normal everyday wolf. Link unsheathes his sword, Navi yelps and goes back under his hat. Sheik takes out his sword too and pulls Zelda behind him, who also pulls out her dagger. But I don't move, I'm not scared of him.

"Nicky," Link whispers. "Get back!"

I wave my hand. "It's fine, he won't hurt us. That's the last thing he'd do."

"He's a wolf the size of a bear! I think he'll do some damage."

I still don't move. Because I see something the others don't, a Triforce mark on the back of his left paw. I recognize this wolf.

"So, you're _Twilight Princess_ Link, right?" I ask him calmly.

"Nicky, it's a wolf. It's a big, scary wolf that can bite your head off, it's not Link!" Navi whispers.

"Did I not just tell you that Link could turn into a wolf?" I ask.

Wolf Link almost seems to smile. Then he melts into shadow, changing shape, becoming more human. Then he's fully human, and he stands up. He's Link alright. His tunic is slightly darker and his hair a little darker blond, and he seems more serious and sad. But he smiles at us.

"Yes, that's me. Sorry for the scare, it's easier to stand the heat as a wolf. Plus, I have to admit it's pretty fun."

~X~

Link stares in surprise at Other Link. "I didn't expect you to actually be a... a wolf."

"It came as a shock to me too, when I first changed." Other Link says. "Especially since I couldn't turn back."

"Can I just say, you're my favorite Link in the video games." I say.

He smiles. "Thank you." He turns to Link. "I'm just going to get straight to your test. The goddesses want to have you go into the Twilight Realm as a wolf to prove yourself worthy of my weapon." Woah, couldn't he have eased us into that?

"But," I say, throughly confused. "Midna shattered the Mirror of Twilight."

Other Link smiles sadly. "Yes, she shattered the mirror when she left. But, the goddesses have access to all other realms. Why do you think they're the goddesses? They have access to Twilight, Termina, the Silent Realm and the Sacred Realm, they even have access to the three timelines created by the events in the Era of the Hero of Time."

"So, did you ever meet her again?" I ask.

He nods. "Yes. But not in my time alive, I'm afraid. Only after the goddesses chose me as the last Chosen Hero."

"So, we're going to have to go into the Twilight Realm?" Link asks.

"No," Other Link says. "Not we. You. In this test, your friends will not be allowed to help you at all."

"No!" Navi says, flying out of Link's hat. "Absolutely not! He's my partner, the goddesses and the Great Deku Tree trusted me with the honor! I'm supposed to help him and keep him from doing stupid things, and he's also my friend. I have a right to go with him!"

"I understand your want to help him." Other Link says. "But you cannot enter the Twilight Realm, you would be turned into a spirit. The rest of you are the same, unable to survive there. But Link on the other hand, he's the Chosen Hero of this time, with the Shadow Crystal he'll be able to turn into the sacred beast, just as I did. He is the only one who can go into the Twilight Realm. This test was designed for him alone."

Link looks at him bravely. "What do I have to do there?"

"Defeat the Shadow Beasts and make it to the Palace of Twilight. Once you reach it, you'll be allowed back into this world, and I'll give you my weapon."

Link nods. "Okay. Do I go now?"

Other Link shrugs. "You can say your goodbyes, when you feel ready, just walk through the mirror."

I turn around and gasp. The once broken Mirror of Twilight now stands fully repaired and glows with light.

"I'll be waiting for you there." Other Link says, and he walks through the mirror.


	22. Chapter 22

**Hello! Thanks everyone for your reviews, they're all so sweet! I just want to apologize in advance, I'm only on Snowpeak Ruins in Twilight Princess, so I won't have a 100% accurate Palace of Twilight, or distance between locations in Hyrule and where the Palace is, etc. I'll try my hardest to get it pretty close, though! I may come back and revise it once I finish the game. Thanks!**

Chapter Twenty Two

Link stares at the Mirror of Twilight. He's almost seemed to... change I guess, in the last few minutes. He seems a little... older almost. Wiser, and sadder.

"What's it like?" Link asks me.

"Scary. I mean, it wasn't too bad in the game, but in real life it's probably worse than the Silent Realm. I don't think you'll like it."

Link laughs humorously. "I haven't liked anything so far, but I still have to deal with it."

I frown a little. I don't like seeing him like this, he seems so sad. I guess it's the burden of having the whole fate of Hyrule on his shoulders. It's finally caught up with him. He must be so scared right now, but he doesn't want us to know.

He sees me frowning and attempts a smile. "I'm okay Nicky. Just... tired of being... me, I guess."

Sheik walks up to Link and puts his hand on his shoulder. "Have fun, hero. Don't make me come in there after you." He smiles at him.

"I won't"

Zelda hugs him. "Be careful, Link, please." He smiles at her.

"I will."

Navi flutters out of his hat. "Don't die, Link. Because if you do, I'll kill you." He smiles at her.

"I'll try not to."

I walk up to him and hug him tightly, and he hugs me just as tightly back. "Please Link, be careful. Please make it out of there." He smiles at me.

"I promise."

He lets go and smiles at us. "See you soon." He hesitates, then walks through the mirror.

_Please,_ I think to myself. _Don't let him break that promise._

~Link's POV~

I stand in front of Hyrule Castle, but it's not the Hyrule Castle that I know. It's dark and foreboding. But the castle isn't the only thing that's like that, all of Hyrule seems this way. It looks like the sun has just gone behind the mountains, but at the same time as if night is already here. There are strange black pixels floating around in the air. A thin fog makes it difficult to see to far, and everything looks yellow and golden. It's... kind of scary.

"Different, huh?" Link asks behind me. His voice echos and rings.

I turn to look at him. "Yeah, definitely different."

He stares at me for a moment. "You are a hero, if you've lasted this long here."

"What do you mean?"

"Normal people turn into spirits when they come in contact with Twilight. You're still yourself."

I look down at my hands. Still me. "Is that good or bad?"

"Good. It proves even more that you're the Hero chosen by the goddesses. But just wait a moment longer, even though you're the Chosen Hero you can't survive here in your current state."

Suddenly, a wave of pain floods my body. I cry out in pain and fall to my knees. It's like it's eating me from the inside, tearing up my soul. I clutch my head and cry out again. I've never felt this kind of pain. My spin arches and my bones seem to break. Hair sprouts from every pore and my nose changes shape. My senses sharpen, I can smell, see and hear ten times better than before. My heart pounds loudly in my ears. It hurts even more. All I can think about is the pain. My skeleton changes its shape, my skin morphs to match it. I'm not human anymore. As the transformation completes, I howl through my new mouth because of the pain that now sears every inch of me, and pass out.

~X~

When I come to the first thing I notice is that I'm hairy. Very hairy.

_That's strange,_ I think to myself. _I don't remember growing a beard._

But it's not just a beard. It's everywhere. My face, my arms, my chest, my legs. But then I notice something else too. I have no arms, chest or legs. At least, not the human version of them.

I yelp and get up on two legs, but four. I'm not human, I'm a wolf.

"Are you okay?" Link asks next to me.

I try to answer, but I can't talk. All I can do is bark.

"Oh, sorry." Link says apologetically. "I forgot you can't talk."

I can't talk? Great, just great.

"Okay, so you need to get to the Palace of Twilight. Battle all Shadow Beasts that get in your way. Once you show me that you're capable of controlling your wolf form, I'll send you back to normal Hyrule and give you my weapon." I nod. "Good luck, Link." He walks off.

I pad away from the castle and Castletown, when it occurs to me that I have no idea what Shadow Beasts look like or how to kill them. I really hope that won't be a problem.

It proves not to be. The second I leave Castletown I spot a strange black, tentacled creature. It's pretty big, and it walks weird, like a monkey. It also wears a strange mask. I guess this is a Shadow Beast.

I'm trying to get used to my new body and senses. I can smell the Shadow Beast, and he doesn't really smell very nice...

And apparently the Shadow Beast can sense me, because its head whips around to face me. It leaps towards me, and I yelp. That thing's faster than it looks, but just as heavy. It slams into me and knocks me to the ground. My vision explodes into stars. The creature walks back and prepares to hit me again, but I snarl at it. I'm ready this time. When it charges me I bite it by the neck. At the touch of my teeth the beast screams and dies. I stand panting over it. This is not going to be a fun trial...

~X~

I've been in here for at least two days, maybe three. I can't tell because of the perpetual twilight, it looks like night 24/7. I managed to get about six hours of sleep before some Shadow Beasts found me and almost killed me.

The Shadow Beasts. I hate those things. Some are easier to kill than others. When I bite them, they die. But some require multiple bites and me slamming into them. And when they come in groups they're even harder too kill, I have to kill them in rapid secession, or they revive themselves. They _revive_ themselves. I hate them so much.

I've gotten used to being a wolf, I'm actually pretty good at it. I know how to use my senses to track things, hear and smell Shadow Beasts before I can see them. Plus, I couldn't defeat them if I was human, it'd be ten times harder. More than once I'm positive being a wolf has saved my life.

I'm broken down and tired, dragging myself to the palace. I can see it, and it's not too far now, a huge purplish stone building that seems to float in the air. There are starting to be more purple and black clouds in the air. I don't know if that's good or bad.

The only thing pushing me on right now is Nicky, my promise to her. I promised her that I'd get out of here, and I never break promises. I'm _going_ to get out of here.

I fight a few more Shadow Beasts, get a few more wounds, and then suddenly I stand in front of the Palace of Twilight. Oh, thank heavens, I can finally get out of here. I wait for Link to appear and take me back, but he doesn't. I wait for a little bit longer, but he still doesn't come. Maybe I have to actually enter the palace.

I walk a little closer to the palace, and immediately Shadow Beasts attack me, more than usual. There's seven of them.

I take out the first four pretty quick, but the next two take a little work. I have to bite both of them about nine times each, then I slam into them, and bite them again. They finally die. The next one hits me hard, but after a few bites it dies too. That just leaves the last one. I growl at it and attack. We attack back and forth, me biting and him swiping at me. Each swipe that comes in contact with me feels like a boulder slamming into me. But I'm sure each bite to him feels like poison. Within a few minutes I'm too tired to continue. Lack of sleep and food, constant fighting and wounds are starting to take their toll on me, and it's costing me. The Shadow Beast slams into me, and I whimper. I think I've broken some bones. I can't get up, I just can't...

But there's Nicky's voice again, the same heartbreaking voice that called out to me during the fight with Dark Link. Along with it comes Sheik's, Zelda's, Navi's, my mother's, my father's, Alac's, Tanner's...

Tanner. I haven't thought about my older brother in a long time, and I immediately feel guilty. I know my life has been hectic, but that gives me no right to forget about Tanner, after all he's done for me. When Mom and Dad died Tanner devoted his life to taking care of me. I was 6, and he was 11. Even when Alac took us in he felt the need to help me with everything. I honestly can't ask for a better brother. We spent all of our time together, even when I got older and made friends with Sheik and others in Castletown Tanner came first, and me with him. I can't even remember the last time we had an argument. I didn't know what to do with myself when he moved into Castletown and took up a job in the Market. And I was crushed when I heard he'd been taking prisoner. I wanted to charge in there and save him so bad it almost physically hurt, that was one of the reasons I was more than ready to become the Chosen Hero. I made a silent promise to myself then, that this time it would be me taking care of Tanner, that I would save him. And like I said before, I don't break promises.

What would he say if he saw me now?

With his encouraging voice ringing in my ears I force myself up and growl at the Shadow Beast. I'm ready to end this. I attack him and start biting as hard as I can. I can still hear Tanner telling me how proud he was of me when I first started riding Epona correctly, managing to stay on her the whole way. Laughing as I tried to comprehend why on earth he would want a girlfriend. Scolding me when I first broke into Hyrule Castle, even though I knew he was just doing it to be a good big brother, and that he was actually proud of me. And it makes me fight harder. I want to hear him say he's proud of me again. Within two minutes the Shadow Beast is dead.

I stare at it for a few moments. I don't notice him walk up behind me, until he speaks. "You did good."

I jump and turn around. Link stands before me, looking approvingly at the seven dead Shadow Beasts. "Very good."

I whimper again as my front left leg erupts with pain. I definitely broke it.

Link looks sympathetically at it. "Broken? I'm sorry, you can take care of it back in the normal world. You completed your test with courage and strength. You more than deserve my weapon. Let's go back." The mirror appears again and he walks through it. I limp through it, relieved to transform into myself again. This time, painlessly.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty Three

~Normal POV~

It's been four days.

Four days.

Link has been in the Twilight Realm for _four days._

Sheik, Zelda, Navi and I have been camping out at the top of Arbiter's Grounds ever since he left. For the last day we haven't said very much, we've just stared at the mirror. We're all sick with worry for Link. Navi flutters around nervously, Sheik doesn't move at all, Zelda plays with her dagger, and I play with my necklace. That's it. Nothing else. But inside, I'm screaming with worry. All of us are. I don't want Link to get hurt. None of us do.

Seconds turn into minutes, minutes into hours, and hours into what seems like centuries.

Suddenly, the mirror flashes with light. We all rocket to our feet and stare at it in anticipation. Other Link steps out of it. And then Link steps out of it. I feel like collapsing with relief. He looks horrible, with bags under his eyes, cuts, scrapes and bruises everywhere, a limp, messy hair and by the way he's holding it, a broken arm. But it's him, and he's alive. There's a collective sigh of relief from all of us. For a minute we just stare at him, and he stares back. But then he grins crookedly and I can't help it. I run over to him and wrap my arms around his neck and hug him tight. He laughs and hugs me back with his good arm. Sheik and Zelda run over too, along with Navi who flies over as fast as she can.

"I swear Link, that was even worse than Dark Link!" I tell him.

"Yeah, it was. Spending a few days as a wolf isn't as much fun as it seemed when I was 11." He gives me a squeeze and lets me go. Zelda hugs him too, and Navi crashes into him.

"How are you doing, hero?" Sheik asks, lightly clapping him on the back.

Link nods at his arm. "A Shadow Beast broke my arm. But other than that, I'm pretty good considering I've gotten about six hours of sleep in the last... how many days has it been?"

"Four." Navi tells him.

"Four?" He asks, surprised. "I thought it'd only been two. Three at the most."

"Twilight can have that affect on you." Other Link says. "You did fantastic Link."

Link smiles. "Thanks."

"And now, your reward." He hands Link something wrapped in cloth. Link takes it and carefully unwraps it. A black crystal lined with red streaks lies inside. "The Shadow Crystal." Other Link explains. "When you touch it, you'll turn back into a wolf, but not anywhere as painful as the first time. You can use it to sneak into the Dark Castle."

"Yes! It's not an instrument!" Navi says triumphantly.

"Thank you." Link says, examining it. He touches it, and immediately transforms into Wolf Link.

"To turn back just think of becoming human again." Other Link tells him.

Wolf Link concentrates, and then turns back into human Link. He smiles. "Why couldn't it have been that easy the first time?"

Other Link laughs. "Tell me about it."

"So, we're done." Sheik says.

"Yes, with the Sacred Weapons. Now, you must receive the Ultimate Weapon to defeat Ganondorf." Other Link answers.

"Another test?" Link asks wearily.

Other Link laughs. "No, no more tests. You've already proven yourself your worthy of it. Just go to the Great Deku Tree, you'll be rewarded with it there. Good luck in your fight, Link. Just fight him like you did those Shadow Beasts and he'll surrender pretty quick." With those words, Other Link turns into Wolf Link and dissolves into Twilight.

~X~

Link collapsed from exhaustion once Other Link left. Luckily Sheik was standing next to him and caught him so he didn't hit his head on the stone. We gave him some potion and bandaged up his arm, but he still looks pretty beat up. Mostly all he's done is sleep, like right now, he's lying on the ground in the same fitful sleep that he's been in for the past two days. He needs it, I didn't even know it was possible to survive four whole days with only six hours of sleep. The Twilight Ream must have been awful.

We traveled to the Kokiri Forest with the Ocarina of Time after we got Link stable enough. The Kokiri were sweet and offered us beds, but since their beds are about half the size of us we kindly declined it. But they did insist on feeding us and gave us warm blankets. We decided to stay here until Link gets better, just in case he has to do something worse than the Twilight Realm to get the Ultimate Weapon.

Sheik and Zelda sit talking quietly on the other side of the room. Sheik seems so much more happy when she's around, he smiles all the time, and the worry in Zelda's eyes melts when she looks at him. They're exactly what I think of as a perfect couple. It's sad that they have to postpone getting married because of Ganondorf. Then again, when has ever done anything other than make things worse, right?

My thoughts wander to my family. They've probably given up all hope of finding me. David's probably started skipping classes to stay home with Mom, which stinks because he went through so much trouble to get that scholarship. But I know it's what he'd end up doing. Dad's probably staying home too. I wish I could tell them where I am, and that I'm safe... well, kind of safe... okay I'm not safe but I'm okay. And Link wouldn't let me get hurt, so I'm at least a little safe. It hurts to think about them.

I start thinking about Link's family. He told me that he had a brother in Castletown but he never elaborated on it. When I asked him more about him, he just looked down and tried to change the subject. I'm sure it hurt him to talk about it as much as it hurts me. But when he got back from the Twilight Realm, he told me more about his brother. His name's Tanner, he's 23 years old and he works in the Market in Castletown. At least, he did until Ganondorf's soldiers took him prisoner. Link said that the goddesses told him that the only reason Tanner was taken prisoner was because Ganondorf knows he's valuable. He knows Tanner is Link's brother. And he knows Link is the goddesses Chosen Hero, the hero who's supposed to defeat him. So Ganondorf took Tanner as bait for Link. And I guess it kind of worked, because I can tell that Link won't give up until Tanner and the rest of Hyrule is safe. And I can completely understand that, I'd do the same for David.

Link suddenly sits up, scratching his head. "So, everyone ready to go find this Ultimate Weapon?"

I laugh. "Link, you still need rest, you're still hurt."

Link waves his hand. "Nah, I'm okay. I love the Kokiri, but if we spend one more day here, I'm going to go insane. I just want to defeat Ganondorf and get this all over with."

Sheik smiles. "Okay hero, lead the way."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty Four

We start out to the Great Deku Tree with tons of food and new blankets from the Kokiri. They smile and wave at us, and we do the same. Zelda and Sheik ride up front on Sheik's horse (both Sheik and Link, especially Link, got a little panicky about their horses until I explained that Link could call Epona with Epona's Song on the Ocarina of Time. Sheik's horse came with Epona.), Navi sleeps on top of Link's head, and Link and I ride on Epona. As we ride, I tell Link about cell phones. He's amazed that we have devices that can communicate across the world. I wish I had my I-Phone to show him, but, then again, it wouldn't really work here since there's no Internet...

"And you can even see where other people are?" He asks incredulously.

"Yeah, but only on certain phones, like mine." I reply. It's weird talking to someone that has no idea what a cell phone is.

"Hey guys, we're here." Sheik yells back to us.

We now stand in front of the Great Deku Tree. He looks pretty much the same, except for the Triforce hovering in front of him.

Wait, a second... is that the _actual_ Triforce?

Everyone looks shocked when they realize the same thing. Even Navi comes out to gape at it.

"It couldn't be..." Zelda whispers.

But it is. We ride closer to it. The three perfectly symmetrical golden triangles glimmer in the light ray of sun that hits them. In fact, I think that they're actually made of gold. They give off a faint sparkly glow, and rainbows reflect on them. I can totally see why this is the most important item in all of Hyrule.

We get off the horses and walk over to it. The Great Deku Tree suddenly wakes up.

"Hero," He rumbles. "Thou hast completed thy quest, and done well at that. Thou hast proven thyself worthy of obtaining the Ultimate Weapon."

"What is the weapon?" Link shouts up to the tree.

"I wish thee luck in thy battle against the Dark Lord. Thou shalt do well." He says, totally oblivious that Link even spoke. Then his face disappears in the wood.

"That answered a lot." Navi mumbles.

"Hero." A graceful voice says from behind us.

We turn around and find ourselves facing Nayru, Din and Farore. They smile at us. "You have done well, and proven yourself quite capable of handling the Ultimate Weapon." Din says.

"We are happy to bestow it upon you." Nayru says.

"Too all of you." Farore adds.

Link looks confused. "All of us?" Farore motions for us to turn around. When we do we all gasp.

Behind us stand every Link there ever has been. All 15 of them. I recognize _Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword_ and_ Ocarina of Time_ who stand in the front. I also see _Wind Waker,_ all four of the _Four Swords, Minish Cap_, young _Ocarina of Time, A Link to the Past_, and every other one, they all smile at us. Poor Link looks so confused that I think he might fall over. And in front of them, a pretty young woman holds the Triforce. Her blond her is tied with ribbons in the front, and she wears a simple white dress. She smiles at us. It's _Skyward Sword_ Zelda.

"Each of yours, Zelda's and Ganondorf's predecessors have held a piece of the Triforce, whether they know it or not. Now, it is time for your generation to become holders of the Triforce." She says.

"Ganondorf has always held Din's piece, the Triforce of Power." The top Triforce shimmers and disappears.

"Princess Zelda has always held Nayru's piece, the Triforce of Wisdom." The lower left of the Triforce disappears, and Zelda gasps in surprise. She quickly unwraps the cloth she's tied around her hands and blinks.

"Zel? What's wrong?" Sheik takes her hand and stares in surprise at it. Me and Link run hurry over. A Triforce mark has appeared on Zelda's right hand, showing that Zelda is now the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom.

"And last, but certainly not least." Other Zelda says, holding the last Triforce piece. "Each of the Heroes here have held Farore's piece of the Triforce. Now, Link, it is time for you to become the holder of the Triforce of Courage, just as those before you." The last piece fades away.

Link quickly takes of his glove and stares at his right hand. A Triforce mark now brands it, marking Link as the holder of the Triforce of Courage.

He stares up in shock at the goddesses. "Me? A Triforce holder?"

Farore laughs. "Link, you have already been chosen as the Hero that is to save all of Hyrule, is it really so difficult to believe that you are a Triforce holder? You and your predecessors have shown immense courage for centuries. You are more than qualified to hold my piece of the Triforce."

"I get why Link has one, but why me?" Zelda asks, still staring at her hand.

"You are greatly tied to Link's defeat of Ganondorf, you always have been." Nayru explains. "You have always been wise beyond your years, probably because your ancestor is Hylia. You have always been an ideal holder for my piece."

"But why give a piece of the Triforce to Ganondorf?" Sheik asks, still holding Zelda's newly marked hand in shock. "That just makes it tougher to beat him."

Din's face darkens. "I do not enjoy giving my piece of the Triforce to the Dark Lord. But he is the rightful holder of it, and I have no choice but to. He is the most qualified to hold Power."

"You now have the Ultimate Weapon." Other Zelda says. "You can now defeat the Dark Lord. Remember, you are a hero, Link. You have fought this fight for centuries, and have won many times. We wish you luck in your fight." She smiles at us, and then she walks over to Skyward Sword, who stands in the front of the army of Links. He smiles at her and puts his arm around her waist. Then, in a burning flash of gold, similar to the one that brought me here, they all disappear.

"Good luck, Hero." The goddesses say in union. Then, they too disappear, leaving us alone to gape at the Triforce marks on Link and Zelda's hands.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty Five

~Ganondorf's POV~

Ganondorf stared at the boy, the Hero's brother. The boy was weak, he knew, but he refused to tell him anything about the Hero. But he would give in. Ganondorf could tell that the boy would do anything to protect his brother.

"Why do you even want to know about him?" The boy said. Ganondorf smiled. The boy was worried about the Hero. He would break soon enough.

"He plays a... significant role in my demise." Ganondorf told him. Why not tell him the truth? It would scare him more than any lie he could come up with. The truth often did. "If he is allowed to live and break into Castletown and the castle, he will defeat me and restore control of Hyrule to the Royal Family. I must find him, and stop him. If you don't tell me where he is, boy, I will kill you and then him in the most brutal fashion. Him, especially."

The boy blinked. "Link? My brother?"

"Yes. It is his destiny, apparently."

"So if I tell you, you'll kill him. And if I don't tell you, you'll kill him." The boy retorted.

Ganondorf smiled unpleasantly. "Basically, yes."

The boy thought for a second. "Then I think I won't tell you. He'll have a better chance of getting here and killing _you_ instead."

Ganondorf yelled in frustration and rage. He stalked out of the dungeon and picked up one of the guards by the front of his shirt. "I want him taken to a slave camp _immediately._ Do you understand me?" He hissed.

"B-b-but, Lord," The guard stuttered. "I t-t-thought he w-was of importance t-to you."

Ganondorf shook him. "Just do as I say you idiot!" He dropped him, and the guard scurried off.

Ganondorf fumed and went to the King's former study, which he had made into his own personal lair. He looked out the window at the Kingdom of Hyrule. He smiled wickedly. Rather, _his _kingdom. Perhaps he would rename it Ganondonia...

That is, if he could kill the so-called Hero before he got to the castle.

Suddenly, his hand began to burn. He took off his glove and stared at it in surprise. A Triforce marked his hand. He looked at it in shock. In ancient writing the mark of the Triforce on the back of one's hand marked him as a holder of a piece of the Triforce...

Ganondorf grinned evilly. It appeared the goddesses had just chosen him as a holder...

Which meant he now held the power of the goddesses...

His grin widened. He would easily defeat the so-called Hero now...


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty Six

~Normal POV~

We've been riding for about a day, I hate that Castletown is so far from the Lost Woods, it wasn't that far in _Ocarina of Time_. Now it's a three day ride. We decided to camp out in this clearing, me and Link sit next to the fire, while Sheik and Zelda sit over by the trees. We both silently agreed that we should give them some space, they've been separated for two months after all. Navi is actually _not_ sleeping in Link's hat, but catching up with some fairy friends she found on the other side of the clearing.

Link stares at his hand for what seems like a year. He's been silent ever since he received the Triforce. I think it may be the shock of becoming the holder of the most important item in the history of Hyrule.

"Link, are you okay?" I finally ask. It's like he's reverted back to the Link I knew in the video games, no speaking whatsoever.

He looks at me, confused. "Huh?"

"Are you okay? You haven't said anything for the past, like, day."

He smiles at me. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. I just, didn't really expect this. It's funny, I didn't react this way when I found out I was the Hero of the Goddesses. When I got the Triforce, I guess it really hit me how... powerful, I guess, I am."

I smile back. "Yeah, you are. You're a hero. And not just any hero, you're Link. Nintendo's second golden boy."

"Second?"

"Yeah, _Mario's_ the first."

"_Mario_?" The word sound foreign coming from his mouth.

"Yeah, the little Italian and Mexican man with a mustache."

"The little what?"

I laugh. "Never mind."

We sit in silence for a little bit longer. Then, "So, why wasn't me being a Triforce holder including in that list of things I needed to know about myself?"

I laugh again. "I told you, it's hard to remember every little detail of the 16 different games that you're in."

He whistles. "16? That's quite a few."

"Actually, 17 counting this one."

More silence. "I'd like to go to your world one day, meet this Shigeru Miyamoto guy and Nintendo."

"You're welcome anytime."

"I'll plan on it."

~X~

We stand a few yards away from Castletown. Hyrule Castle still looks absolutely gorgeous, but the beauty is dampened by the gloom of the rest of Castletown. In front of the Main Gate a huge cage attached to a wagon sits with soldiers on either side. Prisoners are ushered into the wagon, which Zelda explains to me is a slave wagon, designed to transport slaves to slave camps. They've been shut down years ago, they've been considered barbaric for decades, but apparently Ganondorf has reopened them.

Zelda trembles with rage. "I can't even begin to describe how much I hate the idea of slave camps. They're just wrong. And now my people, innocent bystanders, are being sent there for no reason."

Sheik puts his hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Zel, calm down. We'll get them out."

Zelda relaxes at his touch. "I know, I know, but that doesn't make me hate them any less."

"Okay, so how do we get in?" Navi asks.

"How else?" Sheik says. "Link turns into a wolf and scares the helmets off of the guards, they run away and we sneak in, freeing the prisoners along the way. Easy. Right, hero?"

Link snorts. "Yeah, easy. Super easy. I don't know if you noticed, Sheikah, but there's quite a few guards with very sharp swords and spears. They won't be afraid of a mangy wolf."

"It worked pretty well in _Twilight Princess._" I say. "The guards screamed and freaked out if you got too close."

"Might as well try, I guess." Link shrugs. He brings out the Shadow Crystal. "Here goes nothing." He touches it and is transformed into a wolf. He then bounds of to the slave wagon.

~Link's POV~

I run over to where the guards and prisoners are. They already have the five slaves caged up. When the guards catch sight of me they look startled and scared. They get out their swords and spears, ready to attack, but just like Nicky said, they look like they're going to scream. I growl dangerously at them, and they take a few steps back. This is kind of fun. I leap at them and they scream, running off. Man, that felt good.

I glance over at the slaves, all of who are gaping at me, terrified. For a second I'm just going to go back to the others, but a very familiar face catches my eye, and I whip back to him. I can't believe it. It's him. My older brother has the same facial features as me, although he has dark green eyes instead of blue. He's also older, and a bit more pale. I guess it's because he's been in the dark dungeons for the past couple months. I feel like falling down with relief at seeing him all right.

I'm about to call out his name, but then I catch the horrified look on his face. Why is he looking at me like that? I don't look _that_ bad, do I?

Oh yeah, I'm not human right now. I close my eyes and concentrate on being human again. I feel the shifting of my spine and then I'm human again.

"Link!" My brother cries out in surprise.

I grin happily at him. "Yeah, it's me."

Tanner grins back. "You're okay!" Then he looks confused. "You're a dog. Why were you just a dog?"

"Long story." I laugh, unlocking the cage. All of the other prisoners look at me as if I'm from another planet, but look relieved to be out of the cage. Tanner gets out and hugs me hard. He feels a little thinner, but it's still him. I breath a sigh of relief. I've already lost Mom and Dad, I don't want to lose Tanner too.

He lets go and looks at me. "You look different." He says, titling his head. "Older. And absolutely exhausted."

"I could say the same about you." I say. We laugh and he claps me on the back. It feels good to have him back, I missed him. "Why were you in the slave wagon?"

"When I didn't tell Ganondorf where you were, he sentenced me to a slave camp."

I instantly feel guilty. Tanner sees it. "Link, it wasn't your fault. I didn't even know where you were, and even if I did I never would have told him. We're family, it's what we do."

I smile at him. "Yep."

"Link!" Sheik calls out from the edge of the woods.

Tanner looks over at him in happy surprise. "Is that Sheik? And the princess?"

"Yeah."

"And who's the other girl?"

"A friend. I met her a few weeks ago. She has an... interesting story."

Tanner smiles knowingly. "Just a friend huh? She's pretty."

I shrug, hoping he doesn't notice my face getting hot. "Yeah, I guess."

He punches my arm playfully. "I approve."

"Be quiet."

He laughs. "You have a lot of things to explain, little brother. Like why you were just a wolf, why Ganondorf thinks you're going to kill him," He looks at my ears. "And why do you all of the sudden have earrings?"

I laugh too. "Yeah, but it's going to take a while. There's been a lot of changes over the last month."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty Seven

~Normal POV~

Tanner stares at Link as he explains cell phones. We all took turns explaining to him what's happened so far, where I come from and what _The Legend of Zelda_ is in my world. He took it like Link did, silent and surprised, with the occasional questions. He's processed it now, and accepted it pretty fast. I think what made him accept it was when Link showed him his Triforce mark, verifying both that he was the goddesses chosen hero and that he was a Triforce holder. That was the thing he was shocked by the most, that his younger brother is now one of the most powerful people in Hyrule.

Tanner looks almost exactly like Link. The only things that are different are his eyes, his age, his lighter skin tone (because he hasn't seen the sun in a few months) and his build. He's a bit skinner than Link, but Link explained that that was only because he's been starved for a few months.

"But what about the earrings?" He asks Link.

"The goddesses gave them to me, said they'd protect me." Link shrugs.

"Have they?"

"Not really. The only thing they've accomplished is making me look cool." Tanner snorts.

"For the Sheikah, earrings are a coming of age ritual," Sheik says. "I've had them since I was 13."

"Maybe they wanted you to be more mature, then." Navi says jokingly. Link swats at her, but she giggles and dodges it.

"At least they only gave you earrings," I say. "In _Ocarina of Time_ you got sealed in the Sacred Realm for seven years because you were too young to be the Hero of Time."

"Yikes." Link says, raising an eyebrow. "That's more like punishment. That's what the Hero of Time meant when he said he was a 10 year old stuck in a 17 year old's body?"

"Yeah. But don't worry, Zelda sent him back to his original time."

"I can't believe this," Tanner laughs. "It's insane. My brother's a reincarnation of the greatest heroes in the history of Hyrule. And in another world, none of us are real people, but rather characters in a... video game, right? And Link's supposed to go in there and kill an evil warlord who's taken over Hyrule. Crazy."

"Yeah, I know." Link smiles at him.

Tanner messes up Link's hair. "Mom and Dad would be proud."

Link smiles sadly. "Thanks."

We have dinner (Tanner really is starving, though he won't admit it.) and start talking about how to get into the Dark Castle.

"Same solution as the guard situation." Sheik offers. "He turns into a wolf and scares the soldiers."

"Ganondorf will have much bolder soldiers guarding the castle," Zelda says. "They'll only be annoyed."

"Then Sheik and Link can somehow distract them, like when they snuck into the castle to see you." Tanner offers.

"Same thing, they won't be fooled so easily."

"We can throw stones at them and knock them out." Navi says excitedly.

"You're a violent little fairy, aren't you?" Tanner says.

"Yep." Navi says happily.

"How about a riot?" Link suggests. "We can start a riot, they'll go to see what's wrong and we can sneak in. Now that's easy, Sheik."

Sheik smiles. "Not so fast, hero. How do we start a riot, and what about?"

"We start a fight with one of the prisoners. The prisoner fights back, more prisoners get involved, soldiers get involved, including the ones at the gate."

"If we can get it big enough." Zelda adds. "You'd need to insult a large amount of people."

Link grins mischievously. "Leave that to me, Princess. I'm gifted in that sort of thing."

~X~

My parents would ground me for life if they knew I'm doing this.

We snuck into Castletown around dawn, two hours ago. Link scared the guards away, and now we hide in the shadows of buildings, waiting for Link's signal. This definitely isn't the Castletown from the games. It's dark and depressing, with prisoners, who were residents a few months ago, everywhere. They all have the same look on their face; sad, weary and a little hopeless. Most are chained together in rows, but some walk around freely, with guards watching them all.

Link's disguised as a prisoner, his sword and shield with Tanner. But since Link is the only one who can wield it, he's having a hard time carrying it around. Link has a hood shadowing his face, and he traded cloths with Tanner. He also has mud smeared on his face so no one will recognize him. He blends in well.

Link looks up at the window I stare out of. I'm low enough that I can hear everything going on. He smiles, and I know it's time for the riot to begin. He walks over to one of the tougher and meaner looking prisoners and purposely bumps his shoulder. The prisoner stops Link and demands an apology. Link retorts back saying that he shouldn't have to apologize for something he didn't do. The prisoner hisses something at him, and Link sneers something back.

"Listen kid, these guards are already pushing me to my limit. Taking over my home, taking my family from me, and making me a slave. Don't make me mad."

"I'm not afraid of you." Link replies.

"So you think you're a tough guy, huh?" The prisoner growls.

"And you think you actually have a chance of beating me." Link says sarcastically.

"I could snap you in half, boy."

"I doubt it. With that pea-sized brain of yours, you probably don't even understand half of this conversation. Am I talking too fast for you?"

The prisoner raises his eyebrows in rage. "What did you just say to me?"

"See, I was right, you're not understanding a word of this. I said. Am. I. Speaking. Too. Fast. For. You. Oxhead?"

The prisoner growls in fury and goes to punch Link, but luckily he's too fast for him. He ducks and the prisoner's fist sails past his head.

Link laughs. "And you're slow too. Was your mother part slug?"

The prisoner takes another swing, and Link dodges again. "Come on, oxhead, I know you can do better than that!"

The prisoner has obviously had enough. This time he charges Link, and Link purposely doesn't try to get out of the way. His plan works, more prisoners get involved and try to get the prisoner off of him, though some of the more aggressive also try to fight Link. A mini battle starts between the prisoners who're on Link's side and the prisoners who're against him. More prisoners get involved. Then guards get involved, including the one's at the gate, but the prisoners start fighting the guards as well. They're obviously fed up with being prisoners in their own homes, so I guess this is an excuse for them to get back at the guards. Soon, there's a full on riot going on, with every single prisoner and guard involved.

I look for Link, worried that he's getting hurt, but I can't see him. Then I spot him, he's being dragged of by the prisoner he first got mad. My eyes widen, and I run off to go and get Sheik and Tanner. Link's plan may have worked, but it's also just backfired on him.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty Eight

~Link's POV~

Okay, so maybe insulting Calen wasn't the best idea in the world. Especially since he doesn't know it's me.

I know very well he's one of the more hot tempered residents so it seemed like a good idea at the time. That just shows how stupid I can be. I've seen Calen mad before, I know what he's capable of. I'm good friends with his son Traylor, who's my age, so I've seen his wrath aimed at Traylor too. It's anything but pretty. He's a nice guy when he's not mad, but when he _is_ mad, there's nothing stopping him.

So why in the world did I pick a fight with Calen? I knew he'd probably kill me. If he knew it was me, and he knew why I'm doing this, he'd be enthusiastic to help me. He wouldn't actually hurt me. But I don't think I'm going to be able to tell him now, he's too set on killing me.

Why on earth did the goddesses think I would make a good hero, when I make stupid decisions like this?

"You brought this on yourself kid, you're a stupid arrogant brat who needs to be taught a lesson. And I'm gonna be the one to teach you." Calen growls as he drags me into one of the abandoned houses. I think it may be the Miller's house.

"I think you already have." I reply.

He pulls me along. "You wish."

For heaven's sake, shouldn't there be guards to stop him?

Oh yeah, they're all over trying to stop the riot. Brilliant plan, just brilliant.

Calen stops and slams me against a wall. I grunt in pain, and he smiles triumphantly. "Bet you're regretting picking a fight with me, huh, boy?"

"Just a little."

He laughs. "Who's afraid now?" He pulls back his arm and gets ready to punch me.

Oh no, he's going to kill me. On instinct, I throw up my arms to shield myself and yell, "Calen don't kill me!" Some hero I am.

He pauses. "How do you know my name? Do I know you?"

I peek through my arms. "Yeah kinda."

He looks at me more carefully, for the first time really, and through the dirt and grime that streaks my face I can tell he recognizes me. "Link?" He asks in surprise.

I breath a sigh of relief. Now he wont kill me. "Yeah, it's me Calen. How you doing?"

"Okay I guess." He says, still surprised. "Link, what on earth are you doing here? I thought you didn't get captured. And why did you pick a fight with me, I thought you knew better than that! Has Traylor not told you about all the beatings he's had for talking back to me?"

"I didn't get captured, and I thought I knew better too." I say, rubbing the arm he had a grip on. It's going to bruise, no question.

He sighs and claps my back. "Sorry I was so rough on you, I wouldn't have been if I'd known it was you. Why on earth didn't you tell me it was you?"

"Because I _wanted_ you to be rough on me."

"You _wanted_ me to kill you? Why? And why are you here if you didn't get captured? Link, what's going on?"

So I tell him everything. Calen's always been like a father to me, he gave me my first ever job at his bakery. I'm more than happy to get it all off my chest and tell him what I've been through. I even tell him about Nicky, about me being the goddesses chosen hero and a Triforce holder, how I'm a reincarnation. I even break down and tell him about my possible crush on Nicky, and he's the first one who doesn't tease me. He just smiles and tells me to go on. He's shocked by the whole thing and interrupts several times with questions.

"That's a lot to believe Link." He says, rubbing his chin.

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's true." I insist. "You're honestly telling me you don't believe me after seeing that Triforce mark?"

"Could be a weird birthmark." He shrugs.

"Really? That I just magically got in the middle of the night? In the shape of three perfect triangles?"

He shrugs again. "I've seen weirder. And what's up with those earrings? You look like a girl."

"I tell you about me being all the greatest heroes in Hyrule and you point out my earrings." I grumble. "The goddesses gave them to me, okay? And they do not make me look like a girl, Sheik has almost the exact same ones and he doesn't look like a girl."

"Personally, I've always thought he was the more girly one out of the two of you." He snickers.

_Oh you have no idea._ I think.

"I hardly think you should refer to your future king as _girly _Calen." A voice says from behind us. We turn and see Sheik and the others standing there. "I could always throw you in the dungeons, you know."

Calen laughs heartily. "I'd like to see you try, boy. And cut the Sheikahn king act, I know you have a personality somewhere deep inside that scarf of yours, don't try to hide it from me."

Sheik grins. "But I am a Sheikahn king."

Calen waves at him dismissively. "Yeah, yeah your Greatness, whatever. Just because you're engaged to the princess doesn't mean you can start having an attitude around me." His eyes go to Zelda. "Speaking of which, good afternoon your Highness."

Zelda smiles at him. "Hello Calen."

Tanner walks up and punches Calen in the arm. "Thanks for almost killing my little brother and giving me a heart attack."

"No problem, kid."

Nicky walks up to me. "He sure did give us a heart attack. You know him?"

"Yeah," I answer. "He's like a dad to me."

At the word dad Calen gives me and Tanner a strange look. "Speaking of your parents," He says. "Have you heard any... thing about them?"

I raise my eyebrow and look at my brother. He gives me the same look. "No, why?"

He sighs and gestures to the chairs at the table. "You two may want to sit down for this."

I start to worry a little, but then dismiss it. My parents are dead. "Why?"

"Just do it."

We sit down, and the others remain standing. Calen takes a deep breath. "I was hoping you already knew." He says under his breath.

"Know what?" Tanner asks.

"How did your parents die?"

I glance at Tanner. Calen know this, why's he asking us. "In the war, in the town we used to live in. Dad died in combat and Mom died when soldiers raided the house. We were visiting Alac at the time, so we got lucky."

"Did you ever see the bodies?"

"No. They were carried off by the soldiers, probably thrown of a cliff or burned. Calen, what's going on? You already know this."

Calen sighs again. "Link, your parents aren't dead. They're here. They're in Castletown. Inside the castle."


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty Nine

I stare at Calen for a long time. So does Tanner. This is absurd. My parents? Alive?

Tanner speaks first. "Our parents are dead, Calen."

"I thought that too." Calen sighs. "I knew your parents for a long time boys, and those two in there are your parents. I didn't believe it myself. But it's them. And you know what? They recognized me too. Your mom came running up to me, gave me a hug, your dad gave me a handshake. They're a little bit older and grayer, but hey, I am too. The first thing they asked me was if you two were all right. I told 'em that Tanner was somewhere locked up in the castle, and that I all I knew about Link was that you didn't get captured. Maybe I should've lied, because your mom had a panic attack. But they're alive, boys. I swear, I saw them with my own eyes."

Tanner shakes his head in disbelief. "Then why didn't they come back for us? It's been 12 years. That's a long time for them to just up and abandon us."

"I don't know. Guards came in and separated us before I had the chance to ask what on earth was going on. I swear, I thought they were the living dead, it scared me for a second. Thought I'd gone crazy, imagined the whole conversation. But I know I didn't, it was them."

I rub my head. "Calen... this is crazy. I'm not all that sure I believe you."

"Well then I'll prove it to you. I'm sure your familiar with the tunnel that leads into the castle."

"Which one?" Zelda asks.

"The one right outside the castle."

I almost slap my forehead. No duh, the Castletown entrance. How many times have me and Sheik used that thing? Sheik, Zelda and Tanner all look the same as me, we all feel the same stupidity. All of us have used it. In our rush to be stealthy, we ignored the easiest way in.

Once again, remind me why the goddesses chose me?

Nicky and Navi catch on too. "You're telling me there's a straight and easy path into the castle, right outside the door, that we could've taken instead of starting a stinking riot?!" Navi yells. "It's official, I'm surrounded by dummies! Sorry, your Highness."

"And that just happened to slip your mind, Link?" Nicky says, using my own words against me.

"You try being the Hero of Hyrule and remembering everything!" I say, defensively.

"I have and did." She smiles. "Many times."

"I can't win this." I say in exasperation. Her smile is cute though...

_You've just found out your parents may be alive and your focusing on that?_

I force myself to turn my thoughts back to Calen. "Okay, so where exactly in the castle are they? What are they doing?"

"They're Ganondorf's personal minions, that's what they are."

~X~

We slip through Castletown undetected. My riot did serve us a purpose, we get to the castle easily, and no guards are at the gate.

The Castletown entrance leads into the gardens, which is why we've all used it so many times. Zelda presses the stone that opens the entrance, and we slip quietly inside. But, in the end, we don't go unnoticed.

"What are you doing?" A guard yells as he spots us.

Zelda gasps and we run into the entrance. She barely gets the tunnel closed before the soldier's sword impales us.

"He'll go get reinforcements." Sheik says.

"Then we'd better hurry." Nicole says, walking down the hallway. "This is cool, it reminds me of _Ocarina of Time_."

I smile and follow her.

The tunnel splits into two. The right leads to the gardens, and the left leads to a balcony overlooking the throne room. Sheik and I went up there when we were 13 to spy on the King. We quickly walk that way.

About 5 minutes later we're crouching in the balcony.

"You think I care about how tired your son is?" Ganondorf yells. I frown at his voice, anger bubbling up in my chest. This is the man who's been causing me so much trouble for the last few months. "Keep working! Both of you! This is your last warning, the next time I see you slacking off, you and the boy go in the dungeon!" I glance to see who he's yelling at. A young mother and her son, who can't be more than 5. The anger grows.

And then I see something that stops my heart. A man and a woman stand by the throne, frowning deeply at Ganondorf. Their hair is graying, they look like their in their mid-forties. The man is tall and has his arm protectively on the woman's shoulder, she's pretty and kind looking. The man strongly resembles Tanner and me, but the eyes are different. The woman's eyes look more similar to ours. I have hazy memories of them both, I was only 6 after all, but I recognize them. It's my parents. They really are alive.


	30. Chapter 30

**Hey everyone! Thanks for all your great reviews! I just wanted to apologize, very sheepishly, 'bout the heading of the last chapter. I deleted it, 'cause you actually weren't supposed to see it. It was just a little reminder to myself, since I forget things easily, as demonstrated when I forgot to delete it! So sorry if that confused anyone! Thanks!**

Chapter Thirty

~Normal POV~

Both Link and Tanner stare incredulously at the man and woman, who I'm pretty sure are their parents. I can see the resemblance between them. This must be a huge shock to them, bigger than anything else so far. I mean, having your parents be dead for 12 years and then suddenly finding out they're really alive? That's kind of big.

"Tanner?" Link asks.

"Yeah, it's them." Tanner replies shakily.

Ganondorf now turns to Link's parents. This is my first time seeing the Dark Lord in person, and I'm not really liking the sight. He's hideous and taller than normal people. "And you two! Standing there, doing nothing! Oh yes, I can see the hate in your eyes. I'm the one who took you from your precious little brats." I can see Link tense at that. Just one more reason to hate the Dark Lord. "Your stupid little hero. And now I plan to kill him, I'd prefer it to be ruthless, but I'll settle for a quick sword to the heart. And the other boy? He's been taken to a slave camp. I've taken your life away from you. I can tell you both hate me, but I couldn't care less. You answer to me now, and if you ever even get the slightest idea to go up against me, I'll make sure that not only you, but everyone you love will be killed in the most... unpleasant manner. Got it?"

Link's father stares at him defiantly. "Of course, lord, we wouldn't think of it." I can see the same confidence and courage in him that I constantly see in Link. Both he and Tanner look shocked to hear their father's voice again.

Ganondorf sees it too the confidence and courage too. "You better hope you won't think of it." He looks as if he's contemplating slapping him, but instead he stalks off, yelling at other prisoners for various reasons.

"How do we get down there to talk to them?" Navi whispers from her perch on Link's shoulder.

"Ganondorf will go retire to the King's study, which he's made into his personal lair." Tanner answers. "He'll order most of the prisoners and guards out into the courtyard to work. But if... Mom... and Dad... are his personal slaves, he'll keep them here. You'd think he'd take them to the study, but he doesn't let anyone in there. He does weird, scary things in there. He'll leave about three guards to watch them, but we can take them out easily. Just give him a few minutes."

After yelling some nasty things at the former residents of Castletown, Ganondorf barks at the soldiers to take them to the courtyard. Then he storms of down the hallway, presumably to the study. But Link's parents and three other guards stay.

Link's mother breaks her brave face out of worry for her sons. Worry lines her face and she takes a shaky breath. Link's father looks just as worried, but he whispers comfortingly in her ear.

"Use your bow, Link." Sheik says.

Link looks a little apprehensive about that. "But... that'll probably kill them." I smile. I really admire that about him, how becoming the Hero of Hyrule hasn't turned him into a ruthless killer, even if the person he would be killing is keeping his parents hostage. He's just not that kind of person.

"Not if you aim for their helmets." Sheik says pointing at the soldiers. "The arrows won't penetrate them, they're made of some kind of crazy strong metal."

"Azurine." Zelda injects.

"Yeah, that. So if you hit them hard enough with the arrows, the metal will ring. The ringing will be too loud and forceful for them, and they'll be knocked out."

Calen looks at him suspiciously. "And you know this how?"

Sheik squirms a little under his gaze. "None of your business."

Calen snorts. "Thought you'd say that."

"But Link doesn't have a bow and arrows." Tanner says, confused.

Link smiles impishly. "Oh yeah, I haven't told you my trick yet, huh?"

"What trick?"

Link closes his eyes, and then the bow's in his hands. He aims the arrow at Tanner with amazing speed and whispers, "Boo."

Tanner jumps at the sudden appearance of the weapon, and that it's aimed at him. "What the... where'd that come from?!"

Link smiles again. "Magic." He changes his aim to one of the soldiers, and with deadly accuracy, lets go of the arrow. It flies towards the guard's head, and you can hear the ringing sound as it makes contact. The guard falls to the ground, out cold.

The other soldiers rush to his side, looking around for the source of the arrow. Link's parents both look surprised at the now conscience guard. Link lets another arrow go, and another guard falls to the ground. The last guard has his sword out, staring at the balcony in fear. Link knocks him out quickly.

Link's parents stare up at us in pure fear. But Calen stands up and yells down to them. "It's okay, it's us."

Both of Link's parents relax. We climb down from the balcony, which is uncomfortably high, but Link helps me down the ladder.

Link's mother walks over and hugs Calen. "Thank heavens it's you. I thought we were getting mobbed."

Calen laughs. "Sorry 'bout that Livia. Couldn't think of a better way to get rid of the guards. Guess you and Maysen must've been a little freaked out."

Link's father comes up and shakes his hand. "It was a pretty good way to get rid of them, though. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to do that."

"Where are Tanner and Link?" Livia asks in a worried voice. "That awful man keeps on talking about killing them, and about Link being some prophesied hero. Are they all right?"

Calen motions to the two boys. "Ask 'em yourselves."

The couple looks at Link and Tanner in surprise. I guess it's because they're older than 6 and 11 now. Link, who still holds my hand, looks a little nervous. I squeeze his hand in encouragement. Tanner speaks first. "Hey Mom, Dad."

Livia walks over to Tanner with tears in her eyes. "Tanner? You're so grown up, sweetheart. When did you get so old?"

Tanner smiles, his eyes have a few tears too. "A while ago, Mom." They hug.

She turns to Link. "Link?"

Link nods. "Hi Mom." He says quietly. I let go of his hand so he can hug her.

"Oh honey, you were just a little boy."

Link laughs a little. "I haven't been a little boy for a while, to tell the truth."

Livia laughs too. "I can tell."

Maysen comes over too, hugging both of his sons. "I guess we were expecting you to both be the same age as when we left. It never really hit us how old you both are now."

"Old enough that Tanner has a girlfriend." Link laughs.

Maysen raises his eyebrow. "Girlfriend huh?"

Tanner shrugs. "I'm 23, of course I have a girlfriend."

Livia sees me. "And I'm assuming this is your girlfriend, Link?"

Both of us go red in the face. "No." We say simultaneously. "Just friends." Link says quickly. Tanner raises an eyebrow, Sheik's trying to hide a smile, and Calen has a knowing look on his face. Both Navi and Zelda are smiling just a little, and Link's parents don't look like they believe us. I feel my face getting warm. Why are they all looking at us like that, with that glint in their eyes? Stop it!

Finally, Livia sees Sheik and takes the attention from Link and I. "Sheik! Is that you?"

"Yes ma'am." Sheik smiles.

"You're certainly not that little Sheikah boy anymore." Livia says.

Zelda walks over and takes Sheik's hand. He smiles. "Nope, I don't think I am."

Livia smiles at Zelda too. She curtseys politely. "And you're the princess? I head you snuck out of here."

Zelda smiles back. "Yes, but I wouldn't recommend it, it's pretty terrifying."

"Pretty soon we're going to be bowing to Sheik too." Link grins.

"Bowing to him? Why?" Maysen asks.

Link explains about Sheik and Zelda's marriage, and while he's on the role, explains basically everything. Him being the Hero of Hyrule along with being the reincarnation of all the great heroes of Hyrule (Livia has trouble with that), me and where I come from, him being a Triforce holder, and everything that's happened so far. I can tell he's ecstatic to be able to talk to his parents, I've never seen him ramble like this. Tanner's the same, explaining his time as Ganondorf's prisoner. By the time they're finished both of Link's parents look dazed. That was a lot to dump on them at once.

"My son, the Hero chosen by the goddesses?" Maysen says, looking like he can barely believe it.

Livia turns towards me. "And you're from a different world entirely?"

"Yeah, it's kind of crazy." I answer.

"That would explain your clothes." She says.

I look down at my cloths. I haven't even noticed how much I stick out from the residents of Hyrule. I have on jeans, tennis shoes, a green shirt and a turquoise sweater. Every other girl in Castletown has a dress, except for Zelda, who's still in her Sheikah disguise. How come I didn't notice it before?

Link looks like he's just noticing too. "I knew you had on strange cloths when I first met you, but I guess I've gotten used to them."

"This is just how the people from my world dress." I say. "Dresses are usually only for special occasions."

Livia smiles at me. "Well, I think it suits you nicely."

Maysen goes over to Link and puts his hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry we weren't there for you when you needed us."

"Dad, don't feel that way." Link says quickly. "It wasn't your fault."

"What did happen to you and Mom?" Tanner asks. "Where have you been."

Maysen sighs. "I got hurt in battle, but not enough to kill me. I was able to get back to the house and your mother. But then soldiers came in. Different this time. Ganondorf's soldiers. They took us both, and spread the rumor that we had been found dead. We've been working for Ganondorf ever since." He says Ganondorf as if it leaves a bad taste in his mouth.

"That awful man." Livia says, suddenly angry. "I swear, if I had a rupee for every time I wanted to slap him, I'd be rich."

"Oh now Livia, I thought we were friends."

We all whip around at the sudden voice. Ganondorf, in all his horrible glory, stands in the doorway.

"I really hate ruining this sweet reunion," He sneers. "But the Hero and I have some important business to attend to."


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty One

We all stare in shock at the huge man in front of us. He's kind of terrifying. No, not kind of, he _is_ terrifying. But Link just unsheathes the Master Sword and walks towards him defiantly.

"Ganondorf." He addresses him, the deep kindness that's usually in his voice gone without a trace.

"The Hero." Ganondorf replies, his voice laced with sarcasm. He laughs. "You are what the goddesses send to fight me? You're a just a boy, do they really expect you to defeat me, the Dark Lord? I'm offended by their lack of confidence in my fighting skills."

"And I'm offended by your lack of confidence in mine." Link says. "I'm made of more than you think."

"Somehow I doubt that." He unsheathes his sword, a long ebony black blade. It's a large contrast from the Master Sword's blue glow.

Link turns back to us. "Get out, now."

Sheik takes out his sword as well. "Yeah right, hero."

"No Sheik." Link says firmly. "This is my fight. The goddesses chose me, I'm not risking you getting hurt."

Sheik looks torn. "But..." Zelda takes his hand and pulls him back, looking at Link with the same look.

"I'll make it Sheik," Link says. "I always do, you know that."

Tanner, Livia and Maysen look just as conflicted. Livia and Maysen just got him back, I can tell they don't want to lose him again. "Link..."

"I'll be okay." Link says with confidence. "See you soon, promise."

"Hate to cut the goodbyes short," Ganondorf says impatiently. "But I'm a bit anxious to kill you, so can you get this over with?"

Calen starts ushering them out. Link smiles at them reassuringly. Then they're gone, and Navi and I are the only ones left.

Navi flies over to Link. "Before you say I should leave too, the Great Deku Tree gave me the responsibility to watch over you, and that's exactly what I'm going to do." Link smiles at her.

Then he looks over at me. I don't want to leave. "It's okay Nicky." He smiles crookedly. "How many times have I done this same fight and won?"

I try to smile back. I can't leave. I don't know why, but I just can't leave him here. I'm in too deep to just leave him, I have to help.

Ganondorf laughs again. "Oh no, the girl isn't leaving."

Link looks back over to him. "What do you mean?" He says with steel in his voice.

"I'm not an idiot, I know who she is." He sneers at me. "Must be quite a shock for you, being here." I blink. He knows that I'm not from Hyrule?

Link looks surprised too. "She's of no value to you. This is between you and me, leave her out of it."

"Guards!" Ganondorf yells. "Take her."

Suddenly there are soldiers all around me, grabbing my arms and making it so I can't move.

"Let her go Ganondorf." Link says icily, but there's a layer of fear in his voice as well.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." He replies. "She serves many purposes. She knows ways that your ancestors beat me, so that can help me with my fighting. She's smart as well, I could always use that. And the biggest advantage of all is that you and her have feelings for each other. Don't try to deny it, it's pretty obvious. You'll fight harder when her life's on the line, I can tell you'll do anything to keep her safe." He smiles coldly and walks over to me. "She's also quite lovely to look at."

Link puts his sword against his throat. "You take one more step towards her and I'll slit your throat."

Ganondorf smiles triumphantly. "See? You may act like a puppy, but the wolf comes out when she's in trouble."

"You're darn right it does. No more stalling, I'm ready to get this over with."

"Oh no, we're not going to fight quite yet." Ganondorf laughs. "You may recall that you haven't had need for that harp and ocarina you received, yes?" Link nods suspiciously. "Well, I'm about to make you require their use." He snaps his fingers and I feel like I'm being turned inside-out. I scream for Link, and he screams for me as well.

The last thing I hear before we leave is Ganondorf laughing at Link. "Come and find us, Hero. Then, we'll begin the fight."


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty Two

~Link's POV~

I stare at the spot where Nicky was moments before. What just happened? For a moment, I can't think. That all happened so quickly, so suddenly. I can only focus on three things.

1) That Ganondorf said to come and find him using the Ocarina of Time and the harp. But how do I do that? Just play a random melody and hope it takes me to wherever he has her? It's not going to be that easy, that's for sure.

2) That he has Nicky. How on earth did he know about her? And it's, once again, basically my fault. I don't know how, but it is. That kind of luck plagues me lately.

3) Is it that obvious that me and Nicky like each other?

After a few moments of blankly staring my mind snaps back into place. I have to find her. I have to find him. I have to end this. I run outside, right into Tanner.

"Link! What happened?"

I can't talk for a second, so Navi speaks for me. "Ganondorf took Nicky."

Everyone stares in shock. "Where?" Zelda asks in disbelief.

"I don't know." I answer hoarsely. "All I know is that I have to use the Ocarina of Time and the Goddess's Harp to find them."

"He could kill her." Calen says.

"He won't kill her, she's bait for Link." Tanner says. I know he's telling the truth, he knows from experience.

"But how are you going to find her?" Sheik asks in a worried tone.

"I don't know."

"The desert." Zelda says confidently. "They'll be in the desert. It's home to Ganondorf, he's bound to go there."

"Are you sure?" Sheik asks.

Zelda hesitates for a moment, then nods with confidence. "Yes, I'm sure. I think the power of the Triforce is helping me. I'm positive, that's where they are." She turns to me. "Link, use the ocarina to get to the Haunted Wasteland. There will be a large statue of a Gerudo woman. Play the harp in front of it, and you'll be able to get into the chamber where they're holding Nicky. She's alone, Ganondorf's out setting traps for you. You may be able to get her out without Ganondorf even knowing."

"Woah, how'd you know all that?" Sheik asks her.

"I'm the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom. I know stuff now. Ganondorf isn't even aware I know."

"I'm the luckiest guy in the world." Sheik says.

Zelda smiles and kisses him on the cheek. "Yes, yes you are." She turns back to me again. "So you'll be able to get her out without to much trouble."

"You mean _we'll_ be able to get her out." Tanner frowns.

Zelda shakes her head. "No, we won't be able to accompany him. This is his fight, the goddesses chose him. We've helped him as much as we can for now."

"What?!" Sheik yells. "No, I have to go with him."

I smile sincerely at him. He really is my best friend. I think back to all the wild things we did as kids: sneaking into places we shouldn't have been, riding deeper than we should have into the Lost Woods, playing multiple tricks on Alac. We were crazy. And we still are. I'm going to miss him...

"No Sheik," I say. "You've got to stay here with Zelda, take back Castletown." He still looks like he wants to argue. "Sheik, I'll be okay. C'mon, you know me, I've gotten out of worse than this."

Sheik smiles at memories of us as kids. "Yeah, I guess you have. Just... be careful hero. Okay?"

"Of course." I smile.

Zelda looks at me sternly. "And don't you dare get yourself killed, Link. I can make you a knight if you get back, so keep that in mind." A knight? In the Royal Army? I stare at her, stunned. She just smiles. "You heard me. So don't get killed."

I shake my head vigorously. "Wouldn't think of it!"

Calen claps my back. "I'll tell Alac how lucky he is to have you as a nephew next time I see him. Hopefully, it won't be in the dungeons."

Alac. Oh man, I don't care if he yells at me, I miss him right now. I miss my old life. But then again... I wouldn't have met Navi, gone on the most amazing adventure of my life, found out that my parents are still alive, and... met Nicky.

I'm going to talk to her about what exactly our relationship when I see her.

"Thanks Calen. Tell him, as much as it hurts to admit this, I'm glad to have him as an uncle"

Then it's Mom and Dad's turn. Mom embraces me. "I don't want to let you go," She says. "But it looks like I'm going to have to."

I smile weakly. "I wish I didn't have to go right after seeing you."

Dad shakes my hand warmly. "Please be careful. I don't want my son skewered by the guy that's been keeping me from you."

"I won't Dad, promise." I laugh.

Last but not least, Tanner. He embraces me for a while. "You may be my little brother," He says quietly. "But you sure aren't little anymore. Give him a good beating for me, huh?"

I laugh. "I'll give him enough beatings for all of us."

Navi perches on my shoulder. "Coming with you, don't argue."

I smile at the little pixie. "What would I do without you?"

"Die, probably."

I take out the Ocarina of Time, smile at everybody, and then play a song to transport me to the Haunted Wasteland.

To, very possibly, my death.

~X~

I arrive immediately in the wasteland. Sand cuts my face and viciously tousles my hair. I'm blinded, I can't even see 5 feet in front of me.

"I can't see, Link!" Navi yells as she speeds under the cover of my hat.

I lift my hands in front of my eyes to shield them. Not that it helps. To my surprise, I'm standing right in front of the statue. That was easy. I close my eyes, reach into the Sacred Realm and retrieve the Goddess's Harp. I start playing it, and within a few seconds the statue has moved to reveal a secret entrance, a small black hole in the flying sand. I walk down into it, hoping desperately that Nicole's somewhere down there.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty Three

~Normal POV~

I've been in here for exactly three days. There's a clock in the room, so I'm pretty positive. I'm starving, tired, bruised and scratched, and scared. For the last three days Ganondorf and his soldiers have been been interrogating me about how to defeat Link, asking how powerful Link is, more details on Earth, and all-in-all making me miserable.

I'm in a dungeon looking room, with four cells standing side-by-side. And I'm in one. The whole room is coated in a thin layer of dust, everything's made from stone. All in all, it's a depressing room.

Then, a blast of sand enters the room. Great, they're back. I set my jaw, prepared to take whatever they throw at me.

But it's not Ganondorf and his soldiers. A handsome boy in green and a glittering blue fairy step out of the dusty cloud. You can see the relief on his face when he sees me. Link! A huge grin appears on my face. I'm so relieved to see them it hurts.

He runs over to the cell I'm in, concern written in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Considering the situation, yeah, I'm pretty good." I smile.

The concern is replaced by guilt. "Nicky, I am so sorry. I should've stopped him. I should've..."

"Link," I interrupt him. "Don't even think that this is your fault. You always do that. I'm okay, I've only been in here for a couple days."

"Days?" He frowns. "It only took me a few minutes to get here with the ocarina."

I shrug. "I guess the ocarina took a detour."

"Nicky!" Navi flies in the cell and tackles me. Which doesn't really hurt since she's about the same size as Thumbelina.

I smile at her. "I missed you too Navi."

"Hey, Navi." Link asks. "Do you think you could pick the lock and get Nicky out of there?"

"The master of lock picking is at your service." A sly smile appears on her face. She flies over to the lock and takes a tiny hairpin from her hair. She fiddles around with the lock for a few seconds, muttering to herself. Then there's a click and the cell door swings open. "Ta-da!"

Link runs over to me and embraces me. He still smells like pinewood. I'm so happy to see him. I pull back to smile at him, he smiles back, and it's the most welcome site in the world. Despite his face being streaked with grime and his weary appearance, he's the most handsome guy I've ever seen. We look at each other for a few moments, then before I really know what we're doing, we're kissing.

Wait. We're _kissing_? Where the heck did this come from?

But, I like it. This is my first kiss, the kind of kiss I've always dreamed about. I feel like my heart is trying to do jumping jacks in my chest. He kisses me softly, still holding me tight. I wrap my arms around his neck, not quite believing this is real. I can honestly say, I never thought I would get my first kiss from a video game character. And that he would be so absolutely wonderful.

We stay like that for a few more moments, then pull back, both of us smiling like idiots. I feel kind of lightheaded, but I don't really care.

"Um, I'm so surprised right now that I wish I could be holding something, just so I can drop it in surprise." Navi says from behind us. We both turn to her, she's gaping at us. Yeah, I guess that was kind of sudden. Then, she speeds over towards us talking so fast that I can barely understand her. "But at the same time I'm totally not surprised! I knew it, I knew it! I totally called it! I knew you guys liked each other! I mean, honestly, it was so obvious it's ridiculous that that didn't happen earlier!" She pulls Link's hair. "Dummy! Why didn't you kiss her earlier?"

"Well, I kind of wanted to right for the right moment." Link mutters while holding his head.

I smile. "That was a pretty good moment."

"I thought so too." He smiles and kisses me again.

"Okay," Navi gags. "Now it's gross. Stop it." In response, Link just kisses me again. "You're _so_ funny, Link."

"I know." Link grins.

Link takes my hand and we hurry out of the cell, and start to make our way back up the stairs. "Ganondorf's out setting traps for me, he doesn't know that Zelda's Triforce can tell her his exact position. We'll be able to get back to Castletown without much trouble."

I pause before we get to the stairs. "But that was three days ago."

"Huh?"

"When Zelda told you he was out setting traps, that was three days ago. He's been in Castletown for the last day, Zelda and Sheik were able to take all of Castletown back except for the castle. He's defending it." I'm suddenly very nervous. "Link, the ocarina shouldn't have took that detour. It never did that in the game."

He looks nervous too. "You're sure?"

"Positive."

"Link!" Navi yells from the top of the stairs. "Ganondorf, he's here!" She whizzes back under Link's hat.

Link pulls out the Master Sword and steps in front of me. The sword hums and glows at his touch. "Stay behind me." He whispers.

A tall, broad figure appears out of the dust. Ganondorf gives Link that horrible smile that shows his razor sharp teeth. "The Hero, I've been expecting you. Did you enjoy your... rather long trip via the Ocarina of Time? I'm afraid you have me to thank for that."

"I should've known." Link says under his breath.

"Yes, yes you should have." Ganondorf laughs.

"Ganondorf, this is between you and me, please, don't bring Nicole into this." Link pleads, but his voice remains cold and firm.

"Well..." Ganondorf thinks for a moment. "Just because you said please, I'm going to keep her involved."

Link's face appears to have turned to stone, cold and hard. "You've ruined my life. You've taken away almost everything I've loved, you've taken my life away. I've had to grow up pretty fast. I'm actually glad for the experience though, I've matured a lot, I've become a better person. But now it's gotten extremely personal. I'm not okay with you taking my parents and my girlfriend." He pauses and turns to me. "Right?"

I smile at him. "Yeah, girlfriend, I like that."

"Me too." He smiles. But when he turns back to Ganondorf his face is cold again. "It's my destiny to defeat you. And I plan to do exactly that."

Ganondorf nods. "Yes, I'm quite anxious to begin our battle. Shall we start now?"

"The sooner the better." Link says through clenched teeth.

Ganondorf snaps his fingers, and suddenly we're standing in the large throne room of the Dark Castle. "Then let us begin, Hero. Show me why the goddesses chose you as their savior."


	34. Chapter 34

**I give full credit to Furuba Rocks for giving me the idea for this scene! Thanks a million! And thanks everyone else for reviewing, favoriting (not a word, I know) and following! You guys are amazing, keep it up!  
**

Chapter Thirty Four

~Link's POV~

I stare at Ganondorf, my whole body filled with hate for him. This is the man that's basically ruined my life. I'm more than ready to be rid of him.

"I'll show you, alright." I turn back to Nicky. Her eyes are full of worry, and for a minute I'm worried too. But I put on a smile for her sake. "I'll be fine, how many times have I done this before and won?"

She smiles weakly. "Most of the games."

"See?" I say. "It'll be fine. It'll be over before you know it."

"Yeah." She agrees, but the worry doesn't leave her face. She kisses me. "But please be careful, Ganondorf is pretty powerful."

"I promise."

"Enough!" Ganondorf shouts. Another one of those invisible barriers comes between Nicky and I, coming between my hand in hers. Navi flutters on the other side as well. I smile at them one last time, and then turn to Ganondorf.

"Let's get this over with." I say.

I take the first swing at him and he blocks. Then he swings and I block. The fight instantly becomes heated and strenuous. He swings hard at my left side, and I block with my shield. The instant his sword comes in contact with it my arm goes numb. I grit my teeth in pain and swing back. I get a good shot at his left arm, making a deep cut. He yells in pain and swings at my arm in return. He misses, but instead he ends up hitting my right thigh. I groan as the blood trickles from the wound, but we keep going. Within minutes the throne room's destroyed. The room fills with shouts of hate from Ganondorf and I and shouts of encouragement directed at me from Nicky and Navi. This is worse than the fight with Dark Link. I barely manage to fend off a swing to my head. I'm tired, I just want this to be over with.

After repeating this for a while Ganondorf suddenly switches tactics. He lashes out at my leg with the flat of his sword, catching me off guard. It throws me off balance and I crash to the ground. I hear Nicky and Navi yell, but the sword pointed at my throat is currently demanding my full attention.

"The goddess's Chosen Hero." Ganondorf sneers. "More like the goddess's chosen failure."

I set my jaw and stare daggers at him. "It's my duty to defeat you, and I _will_ do exactly that."

He laughs. "I doubt you can do that with my sword in your stomach." He lifts the sword and goes to plunge it in my stomach, but stops suddenly. His eyes grow wide. I stare at him, confused, but then my eyes go wide too. Countless memories overwhelm my mind.

...I remember. I remember everything.

I remember all my past lives, all of things I've done, the men I've become. I remember being heroes in vastly different situations, all at young ages. Every single moment of my lives...

Midna shattering the Mirror of Twilight, Zelda congratulating me on winning the Wing Ceremony, waking up after a 7 year sleep to find myself as an adult, the Master Sword sinking into the ocean, the terrified land of Termina. I remember everything. I remember being every single one of those heroes.

I can clearly hear Demise's dying words, _"You fight like no man or demon I have ever known. Though this is not the end. My hate... never perishes. It is born anew in a cycle with no end! I will rise again! Those like you... Those who share the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero... They are eternally bound to this curse. An incarnation of my hatred shall forever follow your kind, dooming them to wander a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all time!"_ He lived up to his promise. Here I am, the spirit of the hero, facing off with him once again._  
_

I remember defeating Ganondorf many different times. Something tells me that restoring my memories is the goddesses way of helping me in my fight. I recall all the different methods I used to kill him, which one would work best in this fight. I know how to end this now.

Suddenly, I feel a thousand years old. I guess it's because I'm actually older than that.

~Ganondorf's POV~

Ganondorf sneered at the boy. He thinks he's a hero, he thought, when in reality he's just a boy. He was on the ground at the tip of Ganondorf's sword. Defenseless and defeated. Definitely not a hero.

And yet a fire still burned in the boy's eyes. A fire that made it obvious that the boy wasn't planning on giving up so easily, that he still believed he had a chance. Ganondorf smiled wickedly.

Not if he could help it, he didn't.

He lifted his sword to finally kill the pest, delighting in the screams of terror from the girl and the fairy, when he suddenly froze. What was happening?

He was overtaken by strange images from past lives. _His_ past lives, he realized with a start. Multiple hims. He remembered now, how could he have forgotten? He was once the King of the Gerudos, feared by all. He could clearly see himself as the powerful Demise, whom the goddess Hylia herself could barely defeat. She only managed it with the help of that chosen Hero of hers...

The boy hero who now stood in front of him, challenging him once again.

Yes, he could see it now. He recalled the numerous battles he'd engaged in with this boy. His burning hate for him. And the outcome of them all troubled him greatly. The boy won, every time. Be it with the help of the goddess or by himself he defeated Ganondorf. No, no, not after all the work he'd put into this all. He couldn't have it spoiled by one boy who the goddesses saw worthy. There must have been one time he had had the upper hand...

An evil smile split Ganondorf's face. There had been one time, his greatest achievement. The defeat of the Hero of Time.

_He grabbed the Princess at the last moment, threatening to kill her, forcing the boy to drop his weapons. Then, he ran him through. It brought sheer delight to his heart to see the Hero's eyes widen in shock and pain as Ganon twisted the sword inside his abdomen.__ The Princess and the fairy screamed in horror at the blood flowing from the wound. They rushed over to him, in his final moments of life. Ganon laughed.  
_

_"Zelda... I'm so sorry... I failed..." The hero whispered._

_"No Link, no." The princess said through her tears. "You are a hero. You went through things that grown men would have trembled just thinking about. You fought so bravely. You risked everything for me and my kingdom, Link, I can't thank you enough for that. You're going to a better, beautiful place..." Her voice faltered. "You'll be remembered as the greatest hero in the history of Hyrule, I'll make sure of that." She sobbed. "This is my fault. I'm the one who threw you the Ocarina, I got you into this. And now because of me you're dying."_

_The hero took her hand. "Zelda, this is my destiny... this was my choice... I wouldn't have it any other way... I'm happy..." He coughed up blood and yelled in pain. Then he turned to Ganon. The fire was still there, burning bright as he died. "You may have killed me Ganon... but you'll never win... someone will always be there to stop you... I'll... never... truly... be... gone..." With those words, the great Hero of Time took his last breath._

Strange, how similar the circumstances were. The girl and the fairy stood off to the side. He could tell the boy would do anything to keep the girl safe. Even die. Ganondorf smiled. Perhaps history would repeat itself...


	35. Chapter 35

**Ashlee S, thank you SO much for reviewing! I'm so happy you like it! I'm anything but mad about your reviews:)! Thanks so much everyone for your support! So, we are nearing the end :'(, only about 3 or 4 chapters left! Just wanted to give you guys a heads up! Thanks again!  
**

Chapter Thirty Five

~Link's POV~

The memories swim in my head. I'm vaguely aware of Ganondorf stumbling backwards and hitting his head, hard enough for him to go unconscious and the magical barrier shattering. Nicky and Navi run towards me and kneel next to me.

"Link?" Navi asks. "Link, what happened?"

"Link, are you okay?" Nicky says, looking at me with concerned eyes. I know that I've had feelings for other girls before. Many versions of Zelda, Malon, Ilia, even Midna. But that was in the past. That was different lives, different mes. Right now, I love Nicky, and I'm for certain about that. "Link, say something." Instead I reach up and press her lips to mine. She's surprised at first, but then she threads her fingers through my hair and kisses me back. I don't, no, I _can't_ lose her.

We stay like that for a while, until Navi interrupts us. "Uh, guys? I hate to break this up, but Ganondorf's waking up."

We pull apart and I smile at her. "In answer to your question, yeah, I'm good. Better now. Just reliving all of my past lives."

She raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" The realization dawns on her face. "You remember being _Twilight Princess_ Link and _Link to the Past_ Link and all those other Links?"

"Clear as day."

"Which means you remember how to kill Ganondorf?" Navi asks.

"I have a pretty good idea." I say.

Nicky smiles at me. "Which one's your favorite?"

I smile back. "Being the Hero of Twilight, no doubt." She laughs. Man, I love her laugh.

But it's cut short by Ganondorf roaring to the side of us. We look back in shock. No, it's no longer Ganondorf. It's Ganon. His beast form is hideous, he looks like a deformed furry pig, which would be hilarious if he didn't look so terrifying. I get to my feet, picking up the Master Sword and pointing it at him.

"So apparently we both remember now?" I ask.

"Oh, yes." Ganon says, his voice more gravely and deeper than before. "We go way back, don't we?"

"Yeah, ruining each others lives for the past thousands of years." I say.

"Yes. And now that I have my memory back, I now know how I can kill you."

I laugh. "Kill me? Ganon, I think that maybe you were wrong about receiving your memory. You've never defeated me."

Now it's his turn to laugh. "It's you who's mistaken, hero. Think back to your reign as the Hero of Time. You and me caused quite a bit of havoc, splitting the timeline into three. We fought that battle twice. And the ending to each was... vastly different."

There is a hazy memory of that battle a second time. And it _was_ different than the first time. But how?

"Let me refresh your newly acquired memory." He takes a clawed paw and pushes me out of the way with so much force I fly and hit the wall. My arm becomes numb again. Nicky screams, and I see that Ganon has Nicky by the neck. Navi lies unconscious on the other side of the room. Then, Nicky goes limp in Ganon's grip. He's using the magic of his Triforce on her. She's lifted in the air and yells in pain. It's like I'm having a nightmare, but this is real life. Ganon laughs as Nicky yells again. "Strange, isn't it, how remarkably similar the current circumstances are to that day?"

And now I remember, this is exactly what he did during that fight. He used Zelda to get to me. I died. And now it's going to happen again.

"No, Ganon!" I yell. I scramble to my feet. "Don't hurt her!"

Ganon laughs. "Is the great Hero of the Goddesses scared?" He twirls his finger and Nicky cries out.

"Stop!" I cry. He has me, and he knows it. He's just toying with me now. I drop the Master Sword and my shield, just like I did the first time. "Look, no more sword. Now run me through like you did before, just leave Nicky and Navi alone."

He grins and drops Nicky. I watch in horror as she falls, but he stops her just before she hits the ground, then lays her unceremoniously but softly on the ground. He pulls out his own sword and walks towards me. "The second time I will have defeated a hero. Perhaps this is the start of a habit."

"Never." I say. "You know what will happen. We're going to be reincarnated time and time again, just to do this same exact thing. Even if I die, this fight is never really over. And next time we meet again, I will beat you."

"So bold for someone facing death in the face." Ganon observes.

"I've done it before."

He laughs. "That you have."

"Link?" Nicky groans. I look over at her sadly. This is probably the last time I'm going to see her. And my family, and Sheik and Zelda, and Navi...

But I feel the same way I did the first time this happened. At least Nicky can get out of this alive.

Ganon lifts his sword and prepares to plunge into my abdomen. I close my eyes and brace myself for the pain I remember all too well. I hope the goddesses will forgive me and spare Hyrule from Ganon...

But instead I hear a familiar voice yell, "You touch my brother, Ganon, and I swear I'll shoot you."

"Tanner?" I stare in surprise at my brother. He stands at the entry to the Throne Room with a crossbow aimed at Ganon. Behind him stands Sheik, once again dressed in his Sheikah uniform, with his dagger and sword. Then there's Zelda, no longer in her Sheikahn outfit but in a simple dress, who's armed with Light Arrows. From the look on her face I can tell she remembers too. And behind them, I'm surprised to see, stands my Dad and Alac. As brothers, I forgot how alike they look. Both have swords.

Sheik smiles at me. "You really think we'd just leave you alone to die? What kind of people do you think we are?"

"Smart people." I say. "But apparently I was wrong."

Dad steps towards Ganon. "Now step away from my son before we all decide to actually use these weapons."

"Oh, yes, I'm so scared." Ganon says sarcastically. "Please." He turns around and shoves his sword towards me. But he's stopped midway when Tanner fires the crossbow and it hits him square in the back. I know it's not fatal, but it's certain to hurt.

"How dare you!" Ganon roars. He charges at Tanner, during which I retrieve my bow and shoot him once more in the back. He roars again and charges me, but Zelda takes her turn and hits him with a Light Arrow. He roars with ten times more ferocity and charges her.

An all out war begins. I drop my bow and pick up the Master Sword and my shield. We all begin to attack Ganon in any way we can. But he's picking us off as well. The first to be knocked out is Alac, who's thrown up against the wall. The next is Dad and Tanner, who are out the same way. But Ganon's weakening, he's receiving multiple wounds, most of which would alone be enough to kill a man. Most of the damage is due to the Light Arrows, which profoundly weaken Ganon every time they come in contact with him. But they're out when he throws Zelda up against the wall and knocks her out.

"No!" Sheik yells. He attacks Ganon with all the strength he has left. But Ganon simply throws him too, he lands right next to Zelda.

And I'm alone again.

But Ganon's much weaker than he was before. I can tell by the way he holds his sword, as if it's become to heavy for him. But he swings it non-the-less, and we attack each other as viciously as possible. A bolt of lightning lights the room, and thunder booms loud enough to rattle my teeth. I take a swing at his leg and it begins to bleed profoundly. Ganon swings at me hard, and I block with my shield. The blow is enough to knock my teeth out. He keeps on hitting me, causing me to back up. I think he's actually putting dents in my shield. I fall to my knees under the rain of blows, then roll to the side to avoid them. I kick him in the back and he falls to his knees. I swing at him, but he's faster than he looks. He rolls over and manages to bring his sword up to block me. I do get a couple good swings at his arm and abdomen though. Thanks to the surprise attack he's not doing so well on the getting up part. When he does he looks like he's going to pass out, be he swings again, and this time it's so hard my sword is wrenched from my grip and hurls to the floor.

He smiles wickedly at me. "Now, hero, this fight is over!" He swings his sword at my head and I just miss by the skin of my teeth by ducking. He swings again and I have to roll to avoid it. I bring my shield up to deflect the next one, but the blow is so powerful it slams me to the floor and knocks the wind out of me. But before he can bring another blow down a Light Arrow hit him and he screams. I turn, expecting to see Zelda, but it's Nicky who holds the arrows.

She smiles and shrugs. "I took archery as an extracurricular activity last year." I have no idea what that means but I smile back.

My smile fades as I turn to Ganon. He looks at me with malice. "You're right Ganon," I say. "This fight is over." I take the Master Sword and plunge it deep within his chest. This is the first death I don't feel regret about causing.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter Thirty Six

~Normal POV~

I watch Link as he bends down and cleans his sword of Ganon's blood. It's over. Behind me I can hear the moans of the others as they return to consciousness. I'm frozen in place. Talk about an adrenaline rush. To tell the truth I actually stunk at all my archery competitions, which is why I didn't take it this year. I can't believe I actually hit him.

Link turns around and smiles at me. "You are one heck of an archer, just to let you know."

"I sure wasn't last year." I smile back.

He walks over and embraces me. "I'm sorry he hurt you."

"Oh, please Link. You did everything humanly possible to keep me safe. It didn't even really hurt. I'm fine." Truth is it felt like I stuck my hand in a light socket. My muscles are a little achy and stiff, but I'm mainly okay now.

Link can see I'm lying, though. But he just hugs me tighter. "What matters is that you're okay now. Hyrule's safe and I can spend tonight in a nice warm bed."

"You deserve it, Hero of Hyrule." I smile and kiss him. I feel butterflies in my stomach as he wraps his arms around me and smiles against my lips. This is _way_ better than playing the video game.

"I still approve." Tanner calls from behind us.

We pull apart and Link smiles at him. Tanner gives us that crooked grin that Link must have learned from him. Maysen and Alac have the same smile on, it must run in the family. Sheik sits on the floor next to Zelda, who are both also smiling. "Called it." He says triumphantly.

Link rolls his eyes. "Technically Navi called it." He furrows his brow as he notices the absence of his fairy companion. "Navi?" He calls.

"Here." Comes the weak response.

Link releases me and we all run over to where she struggles to get up. She clutches her side and groans in pain. The blow she received must have been more than her tiny, frail body could take. "Did I miss it?" She tries to smile but it looks more like a grimace.

Link picks her up in his palms. "Yeah, I hate to say."

"Well, you're alive, so it must of gone well." She says.

"It went okay. Navi, what's wrong with you?" Link's voice heavy with concern.

She winces as she tries to sit up. "Ganon's throw injured me. That, and I'm running low on magic."

"Running low on magic?" Link asks.

"If I'm away to long from the Great Deku Tree I run low on magic. When I run low on magic, I become weak. Fairies can't survive too long without magic."

"Navi, you never told me that. We could've stayed in the forest for a while." Link frowns.

"Link, it takes a long time for me to refuel my magic, months, years sometime. We didn't have the time."

Link looks as if he just remembered something. "That's why you had to leave the first time." He pauses. "This... this is going to be the last time I see you, isn't it?"

Navi looks as if she's about to cry. She nods sadly. "Yes. I need to get back to the Great Deku Tree, he needs me for other tasks."

Link nods as well. "Be careful, Navi."

Navi slowly gets up. She tentatively flutters her wings and lifts off of Link's palms. She flies to all of us and gives us a kiss on the cheek. "I won't ever forget any of you." She says, tears welling up in her eyes. None of us have dry eyes. She smiles at me. "Bye Nicky, take care of him for me, will you?"

I nod and wipe away a stray tear. "Of course."

She kisses Link's cheek. "Remember idiot, I'll always be your fairy partner."

"You always have been." He smiles.

She touches his cheek. "Goodbye Link." Then in a flash she's out the window and headed back to the Kokiri Forest.

Link stands looking out window. "It was just as hard the first time, if not harder."

I lean my head against his shoulder. "Yeah, it was. Though I almost cried when Midna and Fi had to leave. That was sad."

"Hey," He says looking at me. "I actually understand what you're saying now." I laugh.

Suddenly there's a flash of light and three crystalline voices ring out. "Hero."

We turn to find the goddesses beaming at us. "You have done well, Hero." Din says.

"Just as you have before." Nayru says.

"You have used my Triforce well." Farore says.

Link bows. "Thank you. I'm honored to forever be your Chosen Hero. I will always do the deed."

Farore smiles. "We will forever be in your debt, Link. You have served Hyrule well since the moment you took on the role of our Hero all those years ago."

Link stands back up.

"I believe you know what you must know do?" Din asks.

"Yes." Link says, pulling the Master Sword off of his back.

Nayru waves her hand and a pedestal appears in front of the goddesses. "Place the Sword of Evil's Bane within the Pedestal of Time. Your journey is complete."

Link solemnly thrusts the sword into the pedestal. He smiles sadly and whispers, "See you, Fi." And I swear it glows just a bit brighter in response. Then he walks over to me and puts his arm around my waist.

"Maysen, Alac, I suggest you find Livia, she is quite worried about you all." Nayru says. "We will be done in a moment."

Maysen and Alac bow to the goddesses. Then they ruffle all of the boys hair and walk out of the throne room.

The goddesses face us with sudden solemn expressions. "I trust you understand what happens now?" Farore asks me.

I stare at her in surprise. "Um, no. I don't."

They all sigh. "Child," Din says softly. "This fight is over. It is now time for you to return home."

I stare at her in shock. I've forgotten that this isn't real, that this isn't my life. But... go home? Link's grip around me tightens.

"You mean she has to leave?" He says, a bit of panic laced in his voice.

"Yes," Nayru says. "Her family is quite panicked about her. She has been gone for the last month and a half after all."

I've been gone that long? Oh my gosh. Mom must be absolutely out of her mind, and Dad's probably not sleeping. And David's probably panicking, blaming himself for not being home with me, even though it's totally not his fault. My heart drops.

Link notices. "She, she'll be able to come back, right? I just lost Navi, I can't lose Nicky too."

Farore shakes her head sadly. "No, Hero, I'm afraid not. This encounter was not meant to happen. You are from different worlds, you can no longer have any contact with each other."

My heart drops even farther. "No," I say. "I can't just leave. I'm way to involved here to just leave and never come back! You're goddesses for heaven's sake, can't you allow us contact?"

"No child, this will be the last time you will see each other." Din says.

My heart beats fast. "Then I'm not leaving."

"Child, think of your family."

And they've got me. I can't just leave my family. I may love Link and everyone and everything here, but I can't just up and leave my family.

"We will be able to reverse time in your world," Nayru tells us. "Your family will not remember a thing. It will be just as if you never left."

"I'm not forgetting Nicky." Link says firmly.

"Of course not, Hero, we would leave time as it is here. We are not so cruel as to make you relive this nightmare, and forget Nicole. And you, Nicole, will remember as well." Din reassures us.

I feel like crying. Leave. I guess I knew this would come eventually, but I didn't expect it to hurt so much. I didn't expect to fall in love with Link, to become so familiar with real-life Hyrule. I feel like my heart is being ripped in two. "Okay." I whisper.

I walk over to Sheik and Zelda, who have been watching quietly. I can see the pain in their eyes. I embrace Zelda.

"I feel like we're old friends." Zelda says sadly. "I wish you didn't have to go..." She falters.

"So do I." I smile at her then embrace Sheik as well.

"Tell that Miyamoto guy to get his facts straight about me, okay?" He says with emotion.

"I'll write him a strongly worded letter." I try to laugh. Then I come to Link.

Oh no, I can't do this. I can't say goodbye to him. His cobalt eyes look so sad you'd expect him to be falling apart. He's really beat up, with scratches and grime all over him. He has multiple wounds all over his arms, legs and abdomen. But I don't think he's ever been more handsome.

"Nicky..." He says, struggling to find words. Before he can say anything else I wrap my arms around his neck and bury my head in his tunic. "I'm coming with you." He whispers.

"No, Link." Though I want to say yes so bad. "You know you're needed here. You just got your parents back. You need to stay here."

He lifts my chin up and kisses me softly, but there's an urgent need to it as well. It's a long kiss, because I don't want to go. But finally we pull apart. "I would say I love you, Link, but I'm to young for that." I say jokingly.

He laughs softly. "I'd say the same thing." He kisses my forehead and then releases me. "Promise me you'll watch _Les Misérables_ and eat McDonald's for me, okay?"

I laugh. "Promise." I take of my necklace, which has my name on the pendant, and put it around Link's neck.

"Time to go child." Farore says.

I hug him one last time and then turn to them. In their place stands a huge Triforce portal. I wipe away a tear and then turn to wave goodbye to Link, Sheik and Zelda. Link clutches the necklace. They wave back, and I step through the portal.

~X~

I wake up on my couch, alone. At first I think that maybe this whole thing has been a dream. But the fresh tears running down my face and the lack of my necklace tell me otherwise.

The title music plays from the _Dark Castle_ game. I reach for the Wii remote and start the game, even though I know it won't take me back.

I was right. Video game Link just stands in front of me. He's not real. I can't talk to him, or hug him. He's no longer a person.

But as I get up slowly to try to do the dishes, I imagine that he wears my necklace.

* * *

**Fear not my friends, there are still one or two chapters left! Maybe just one, I'm still trying to decide. Thanks so much to everyone who has read my story so far, you guys are amazing! Thanks sooo much!**


	37. Epilogue

Epilogue

~Four years later~

~Link's POV~

After Nicole left, Zelda started rebuilding her kingdom. Everything is now at peace and we were able to quickly repair damages made to Castletown.

Zel and Sheik were married a month after she left. I've never seen either of them look more happy. Zel wore a beautiful gown with yards of embroidered white fabric, she was gorgeous. Sheik didn't wear his scarf, the first day of many of it's absence. But it was worth it to see his smile. He still wears it whenever he isn't needed as King of Hyrule. He's still adapting to the whole "royalty" thing, and he hates having the guards follow him around. The only time he isn't being followed by them is when he's with me. As General of Hyrule's Army (and not to mention Hero of Hyrule) I'm more than qualified to be his personal bodyguard. The people trust him now as their king, in fact, they love him. Just like I thought they would.

It's been four years since my fight with Ganon. My life's changed pretty profoundly, since I'm now referred to as the Hero of Hyrule. I moved in with Tanner when I was appointed a knight. But since he got married to his girlfriend, Elise, a year ago and moved out, I've had the house to myself. They're expecting a baby in a few months, I can't wait to be referred to as Uncle Link.

Mom and Dad got a house in Castletown too. Needless to say everyone was as overjoyed as us to see them alive and well. Dad's working as a blacksmith and Mom has a flower shop in the Bazaar. It's amazing to have them back in my life again. Uncle Alac still lives in his cottage, he's started raising cuccos. I personally hate those things, but Alac seems to enjoy them, so I'm not complaining.

Six months after I became a knight I became the youngest General in the history of Hyrule. General Mican had decided to retire and I was Sheik's first and only choice for General. I love being the leader of Hyrule's Army, the feel of training new knights, having men from different countries bow to me, being called a hero. I love it. I'm pretty happy.

But even though I'm happy, there's still a big hole in my life. I miss Nicky like crazy. At 22, I'm the most eligible bachelor in Hyrule, all the girls fawn over me. They're all nice, but they seem so... bland compared to Nicky.

I'm sitting in my living room listening to the fire. I drift in and out of sleep. It's around 1:00 in the morning, so I should be sleeping. But my dreams are invaded by Ganon, they have been for the last three years. Lately it's been getting better, this is the first night I've had the nightmares in the past month, but it used to be much worse. I'd have them almost every night, and when I did I wouldn't be able to go back to bed. Now I can wake myself up from the dreams and go back to bed with relative ease. But tonight's different, for some reason I just can't go back to sleep. Why did it have to be tonight? I have to meet with the General from Monzerat tomorrow to discuss the civil war in South Dayen. I kind of need to be awake for that.

I finally drift off, only to meet another nightmare. In this one, Ganon has my mother tied to an altar, about to sacrifice her. I try to run towards them, but the scene changes. I now stand at Sheik and Zel's wedding. Right before Sheik slips the ring on her finger, he's run through with a sword from nowhere. Zel screams as he falls to his knees, choking on his own blood. Then the scene shifts again. Navi flutters in front of me.

"Well come on, dummy!" She yells. "Hurry!"

We run into the Pirates' Stronghold. There, Captain Salazar, with my blade protruding from his bloody chest. He holds up his sword, about to bring it down on Nicky. She stands defenseless in front of him, her eyes full of terror.

"Link!" She screams as Salazar rushes his sword at her.

I jerk awake in a cold sweat. I clutch Nicky's necklace and try to calm my breathing. I stare at the cold embers of the fire and take deep breaths. _It was just a dream,_ I remind myself. Mom's probably sleeping right now, Sheik and Zel are happily living in the castle, Navi's back in the forest, and Nicky's safe in her own world. I hate these dreams so much.

I check my clock. It's around 5:00. I might as well get ready for the meeting, even though it isn't for another eight hours. And I think I'll go for a ride to pass the time. I get up and change into my chain mail and green tunic. I fought hard to keep my tunic, they wanted me to change to a silver one, but they agreed to let me keep it in the end. The least they could do for the Hero of Hyrule. I pull on my pants, then my boots. After a few moments of debate I also try on my new cape. It's red, it used to be purple, but I think the red suits me better. I strap on my sword and shield, and then pull on my hat. I also fought for my hat, but in the end I had to give in to wearing a helmet. I grab the Shadow Crystal, just as a safety pro caution. Then I grab the Ocarina of Time, step outside, and play Epona's Song. She comes running from the stable, excited at the thought of a late night ride. When the nightmares first started I would ride at night all the time, as if running away from them. It became something like a nighttime ritual, and Epona grew used to them. But now that the dreams are calming down I mostly sleep during the night. But tonight's an exception.

I walk over to her and stroke her hair. "Wanna go for a ride?" I ask.

She neighs happily in response. I climb on her and start her off. We ride slowly and silently through Castletown until we reach the gates. There she bolts off and we fly through Hyrule Field. We weave in and out of the Lost Woods and jump over fences. The wind rushing at me seems to cut through my worries and lets me enjoy the ride. Before I know it, an hour has passed and we're at Lake Hylia. I smile as we come upon it, the Great Bridge of Hylia stands tall above us. The lake sparkles with the light of dawn. We reach the lake and I hop off Epona to get a drink. As I sip the sweet water the light begins to change to a more goldish color. At first I think it's simply the sun coming over the mountains, but the sun has already risen. At the same time, my Triforce mark begins to glow. I think I know what's happening.

I lift my head to stare at the Triforce slowly spinning above the lake. I wait for a moment for something to happen then raise my eyebrow. The Triforce decides to just randomly float above Lake Hylia? I look back to Epona who stares at the Triforce as if in a trance, then look back. Seriously, what's going on?

The the Triforce explodes into a shower of color. Farore emerges from the rainbow waterfall, and I drop to one knee in a bow.

"Your Grace." I say reverently. I haven't seen her since the day I killed Ganon. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?"

She smiles at me. "My Chosen. I am happy to see how far in life you have gotten. You are truly a great warrior, and an even greater man. But, you are unhappy."

I look up in surprise. "No, Your Grace, I'm quite happy. I couldn't ask for anything more, the life I'm living is like a fairytale I imagined as a child. I have everything I've ever wanted."

"Not quite everything." She says, eying Nicky's necklace. "My sisters and I have been watching you and Nicole. You both may be happy with your life, but there is a hole where the other should be. You are not as happy as you could be." I look at her questioningly. Does she think I don't know that? "My sisters and I have come to a conclusion." She continues. "We are going to allow you contact, and access to each others worlds."

I stare at her in surprise. What? After 4 years of forbidding us to see each other they're just all of the sudden saying that we can have unlimited visits?

"I know this seems sudden to you." She says, as if reading my mind. "But my sisters and I have been mulling it over ever since you were parted. You love each other, it's obvious. Why should we get in the way of it? And you have faithfully and bravely served us for thousands of years, you deserve a happy ending. Yes, you were never meant to meet, but what's done is done. We can't make it any worse." The light seems to bend and two golden Triforce pendants appear. She hands them to me. "One is for you to keep, the other is for Nicole. With it, you can travel to Nicole's world, and she can travel here. Just wish on the Triforce and it will transport you."

My head spins. "So you're saying... I can see her again. Right now?"

She pauses for a moment, as if listening to someone, and then nods. "Yes. She's not currently home, but will be within the hour. I suggest you hurry if you wish to surprise her with your presence." She smiles, and then disappears into the light.

I'm shocked for a moment and can't function. I'm going to see Nicky again? We might actually have a chance at a future together? I smile and run over to Epona. "I'll be right back, wait here for a sec." I whisper. Then I clutch the Triforce pendant and make a wish on it.

_Take me to Nicole._

The world explodes with gold and I'm taken away from the land of Hyrule.

~X~

I open my eyes to a small house. Although it's nothing like mine. It looks far more futuristic, with strange metal objects everywhere. It's neat and clean, though, and comfortable. I'm standing in what seems to be a living room, because there's a fireplace. But it's made out of stone where mine is made out of wood. The couches are a chocolate brown and look like soft leather. The floor is a lighter brown, and it's soft to my amazement. Like fur. And there's a huge black box on a brown wooden table. I wonder what that's for. Then I realize it must be a... what did she call it? Oh, yeah, a T.V. The walls are a cream color, and full of pictures. The artist must be the best in the world, because they're so life-like I expect them to pop out at me. I tentatively walk up to one and smile. It's Nicky. She's smiling with a boy a bit older than her, but with her same golden hair and blue eyes. I can only assume it's her brother. Many of them include Nicky and her friends and family. This has to be her house. I smile wider. It's her house.

I notice a container on the dinning table, and walk over to look at it. My eyes go up in surprise. I'm on the cover. I have a serious expression, and on my other side is a portrait of a wolf. It looks exactly like me when I'm in wolf form. It reads: _The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess._ This must be one of the games Nicky told me about. I'm about to pick it up to examine it more when I hear a voice outside the front door. A familiar voice. I suck in a breath as she opens the door and steps inside.

~Normal POV~

I slide into the front seat of my car and breath in the cool morning air. Thank heavens that's over. I've been in Washington D.C. for a job interview for the last week, and I'm beat. It ends up that I didn't get the job, but I got to see all the sights, such as the statue of Abe Lincoln and the Declaration, so it was worth it.

I finger the little Triforce on my keyring and sigh. It's been 4 years, and I miss Hyrule like crazy. Especially it's hero. No amount of playing the games can make me feel better, because I'm always reminded that it's just that, a game. The Link on the screen isn't the Link I fell for. I never told anyone, not even my parents, my experience in Hyrule. But you can't blame me, they would've been a bit worried about me if I told them I'd just spent two and half months in a fictional land and fell in love with a video game character as he fought another video game character. If it sounds that crazy in my head, imagine what it'd sound like out loud. I cried a bit the first weeks back, and Mom worried about me. I told her I was having trouble with a boy I liked at school, which wasn't completely lying. I finished _Dark Castle_ three months later. The goddesses were right, it was completely and utterly different from my experience. But it was a fun game. That version of Link is the one that I constantly imagine wears my necklace.

I went on with my life. I graduated from high school and am now attending college. I share an apartment with my best friend, Corrin. Her dad's the CEO of his own company, so they're kind of loaded. He didn't want us to be stuck in a tiny dorm, so he bought us our own apartment 5 minutes away from the school. But right now's Christmas vacation (though you wouldn't know since it's always so hot and sunny in California), so Cory's in Vermont with her parents. I'll be heading back home too, the minute I get back to the apartment and get some rest. David will be coming too, along with his fiancé Sarah. They got engaged about 2 months ago, and I can't wait to have Sarah as a sister-in-law, she's amazing.

My phone rings. I look down at the ID to see Cory's picture. I answer with a smile.

"Soo, how was it? Besides the fact that you didn't get the job." Her cheerful voice rings out on the other end.

"Amazing. You should've came with me, you would've loved it." I start the car and maneuver my way out of the airport's parking lot.

"I'm sure I would've." She says. "You know, they don't know what they're missing out on, not hiring you. It's their loss."

I smile. "It's okay, I'm over it."

"I still don't get why on earth they would make you fly all the way to D.C. to apply for a job that's 15 minutes from the apartment."

"Don't ask me."

We continue to talk as I get closer and closer to home, laughing hysterically at things that only we two would understand. When I'm about 5 minutes away from home Cory brings up a new topic. "So, I have this guy I want you to meet, he's a real cutie. I think you two would really like each other."

I bite my lip. "Um, Cory, I don't know..."

"Oh come on Nicky! You guys have so much in common, it's like a match made in Heaven."

It's not like I haven't dated other guys before, it's just that none of them have risen up to the impression that Link set on me. I've kissed other guys too, but I never got those fireworks again. And on every single date I've been on since _Dark Castle_ all I can think about is how much I'd rather it be Link on the other side of the table smiling at me.

Cory understands my silence as a no. She sighs dramatically. "Fine, be that way. You're gonna end up to be that old lady with 50 cats who dies alone."

"Cory, I don't even like cats."

"Then you'll have 50 dogs. Jeez, whatever that guy did to you in high school must've been pretty bad since you've sworn off men."

_Actually it was just the opposite. _"I haven't sworn off men, it's just that... I'm not interested in dating right now."

"Whatever, Nicky, but don't come crying to me when you find out that this guy, Alex, is you're soul mate and you let him slip through your fingers."

I pull into our parking space and snort. "I won't, promise."

"Well then, I guess I'll see you in a few minutes."

"Huh? What do you mean? Aren't you in Vermont?"

"Nope, I'm here eating at Suzy's Dinner. Mom and Dad are taking a business trip to Las Vegas, and I'd rather be here than rattling around their house all alone."

"Who takes a business trip to Las Vegas?" I laugh.

"I don't know. You think your folks'll let little ol' me hang around until Mom and Dad get back? They'll get home before Christmas, so I won't be there too long."

I roll my eyes as I get out of the car. "What kind of a question is that? Of course they'd be happy to have you over."

"Sweet, thanks darlin'. I'll be there in a few minutes, I'm almost done. Then we can start packing."

I pull my keys out of my pocket and unlock the door. I throw my bags inside and head for the kitchen to get something to eat. "I swear, that airline food was awful."

Cory snorts. "You're just noticing this?"

"And don't get me started on the guy sitting next to me. He spent the whole night muttering in his sleep about Batman. And he drooled."

Cory busts up laughing. "Oh no, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, I survived." I say as I pour some orange juice.

"Now I better not come home to find you playing Zelda." She warns.

"Says the girl who spent one entire afternoon playing the _Captain America_ game."

"Hey, did you see how life like that thing was? You could see the ripples in his muscles as he fought." She says dreamily.

"Oh, brother." I snort. Then I turn around. I start at the sight before me and drop my glass. It shatters on the floor.

"Nicky, what was that?" Cory asks on the phone, but I'm not listening. There's a man in my house. I don't know him, or how he got in here, and I'm a little freaked out. I'm about to throw things at him and demand he gets out of my house before I call the police when I really get a good look at him. Oh gosh, he looks familiar. He's good looking and wears medieval clothing and has a wicked looking sword on his back, which is a bit creepy. He has blond hair with bangs that just miss falling into his eyes. His eyes. That's what I recognize most about him. I've seen those blue eyes somewhere before.

"Nicky?" Cory asks, sounding worried now.

"Nicky?" The man asks as if he can't believe it's me. His voice is strong and comforting. And that's when I realize who he is. I see him almost every night in my dreams and nightmares.

"Nicky, are you okay? Is there someone there with you?" Cory asks on the phone.

I shake my head. "Yeah, no, I'm fine. Just turned on the T.V. See you in a sec, drive safe." I end the call before she can say anything else.

I stare at the man in front of me in shock. "Link?" I ask incredulously.

"Uh, yeah. It's me." He replies. We just stand there for a moment staring at each other. He looks so different, and yet so much the same. He's older obviously. His outfit is different, I think that's one of the main things that threw me off. It's a bit more official than his usual green attire, though he still has on the tunic. He seems a bit more muscular, and tanner. I don't know why I didn't recognize him right away though.

"W-what are you doing here?" I stammer.

"The goddesses granted us access to each others' worlds. They realized that we missed each other and that after saving Hyrule multiple times I've gained the right to have what I want for once." He smiles at me, and then holds up a necklace with a Triforce pendant. I notice he has one too, right along with my necklace. He still wears it? "These allow us to go from this world to Hyrule. I get one and you get one too."

"You mean, we can see each other again? I can go back to Hyrule and not have to stay there forever? And you can come here?"

"Yeah."

Finally, the shock of him being here melts away to happiness for him being here. I run over to him and tackle him in a hug. He's surprised, but it only takes him a moment to regain his balance and wrap his arms around me.

"I missed you so much." He whispers.

"I missed you more." I reach up and pull his lips to mine. Oh man, I missed kissing him. He smiles against my lips and twirls me around.

"I think I'm old enough now to tell you I love you." I say when he puts me down.

He smiles. "I love you too."

"So what's up with the outfit?"

He tells me all the things that have happened while I've been gone. I'm sad when he tells me I missed Sheik and Zelda's wedding, but when he reveals that he's now the General of Hyrule's Army I can't help but grin. He totally deserves that. I tell him what's happened in my life too.

"Do you want milk, water or orange juice?" I ask looking in the fridge.

"What's orange juice?" Link asks from his seat at the island.

"I'll get you that, you'll like it." I pour him a glass (I cleaned up the glass I dropped) and hand it to him.

He looks at it suspiciously. "Why's it orange?"

"Just drink it, it's good."

He takes a sip and nods in surprise. "Yeah, it is."

"If orange juice surprises you, wait until you see everything else here." I pause. "I'm guessing you don't have a room at a hotel, huh?"

"What's that?"

"Yeah, I didn't think so. Well, I'm leaving for my parents in a couple days for Christmas, they'd be happy to have you over too. They love having guests."

He smiles brightly. "I'd love that. Just one question."

"Yes?"

"What's Christmas?"

I laugh. "Before we go, I need to get you educated on my world." I lean across the island and kiss him.

"That sounds like fun." He whispers, and then kisses me back.

This was _way_ better than playing the video game.

_~~~THE END~~~_

**Hi everyone! I'm SO sad this is over :'(! Thank you all soo much for your reviews, they made me feel like J.K. Rowling! Even though this is over, I'm starting other books too. Ashlee S, thanks for your ideas! When I get done with all the other ideas running through my head, I'll try to try out your ideas! I'm thinking about starting a Percy Jackson one in the future, and perhaps a Beauty and the Beast one. But for all you fellow Zelda fans out there, I have decided to immediately begin another Zelda fanfic! It'll be pretty different from this one, though. If you want to read it (and I'd LOVE it if you did!) I'll probably be naming it The Legend of the Hero and the Goddess. If not, then you'll be able to find it on my profile :). Thank you all sooo much again!  
**

**Sincerely,**

**~Kenzi333 :)**


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